Sandra Boakye finds rhythm at CAF African Schools Football Championship
Sandra Boakye. Boakye. The Gatherer of Crowds.
From Kumasi via Accra and down to the Zimbabwean capital of Harare, Boakye is sewing together a story of class, bullish dominance and overall excellence. And it is just day one!
Perhaps, it is the swagger with which Ghana’s head coach for the U15 girls’ team walks through the greens at Gateway High School in the plush northern suburb of Harare or maybe the air around her that has quickly set her apart from the crowd after just day one at the fourth edition of the CAF African Schools Football Championship.
Whichever way you look at it, Boakye is a star. This may or may not have anything to do with her glorious past record as a former teenage bronze medallist with Ghana at the 2012 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Based on merit, the former attacking midfielder knows a thing or two about playing at continental and global level as a teenager. It is that experience that is coming in handy when representing the West African footballing giant in the southern part of Africa.
“What impressed me the most is that the girls understood the game plan very well, the tactics and they did exactly what I explained to them. We wish for our fans to have confidence in our team and hopefully, we can continue to win. We have a good team and good talent,” said the confident Boakye who is happy to be representing Ghana and coaching the Black Damsels.
Her side come into this edition as the reigning African champions of this very competition that was hosted in Accra last time out and yet despite that status, they remain humble.
In fact, in her opening press conference on Sunday, Boakye said, “As Ghana, we consider this competition as a talent identification platform for our teams. We are building for the future.”
The nation’s senior team has recently displayed a rise from the ashes that is spurring all age groups to stand out across the board. From being eliminated in the group stages at the WAFCON 2018 at home to missing out on the 2022 edition to finishing third at last year’s event, Ghana is back!
And that return from the dead is inspiring the Damsels to build towards a solid objective – something to write home about. Boakye, who played alongside her namesake Portia Boakye – the current captain of the Black Queens admits that there is no better motivation.
Sandra and Portia played on that same Black Maidens team that walked away from Azerbaijan as the first ever African team to finish among the top three in the world. And yet, those memories remain fresh in the mind of Sandra. She still holds onto them dearly - 14 years later!
Still ecstatic, “Seeing them [the Black Queens] play and I am coaching, keeps me motivated. Since they are playing, at least I am still in the game. I believe that I was brought to this world to coach rather than play the game. Playing at the underage level gave me the foundation that I needed to get into coaching and I truly enjoy it.”
Mentored by the celebrated tactician Didi Dramani who was the Ghana head coach at that World Cup has been a blessing for Sandra who admits that, “I learnt a lot from [Mas-Ud] Didi Dramani. He is my mentor. He is one of the best coaches in Ghana.
Dramani is currently the head coach of the iconic Accra Hearts of Oak – the oldest surviving football club in Ghana founded in 1911 and winners of the CAF Champions League in 2000.
Sandra attributes her style of coaching to Dramani’s - playing compact football when defending, attacking more to give the game direction and that direction leading to scoring. This has so far made it difficult for their opponents to deal with her style.
Guinea was on the receiving end of this masterclass on Monday after the Black Damsels made light work of their West African mates 6-0. But Sandra is keeping a low profile and focused on the games ahead with attention to more details as they look to improve.
A Physical Education teacher at Simms Senior High School in Kumasi, Sandra believes that her role within the Black Damsels is not just to coach games at international tournaments but to mentor the young girls to dream big and understand that football can change their lives.
“I believe most of the girls look up to me because I played well. Sometimes, when we are training, I play with them [she laughs]. Even when I am with them and we are talking tactics, I tell them that they should be learning because I believe that after they retire, most of them can be coaches. Most of them come to me for advice. And it helps that I am a teacher. I love teaching and so it becomes very easy for them to understand.”
Away from the football on the pitch, Sandra is taking in the beauty of Zimbabwe and continues to appreciate the opportunity presented to her as a coach at the CAF African Schools Football Championship. It is always medaase to the beautiful game for her.