Ghana's FIFA Connect rollout streamlines and inspires The video below is copyright free and can be used at will, without asking for authorization ZURICH, Switzerland, January 20, 2022/APO Group/ -- The Ghana Football Association has continued to excel as the lead member association trialing various components of the FIFA Connect programme, and the latest component, the FIFA Connect Management System which began its pilot phase in October. The FIFA Connect programme helps member associations register all their stakeholders in a systematic way and keep track of players, coaches and referees - wherever they are in the world and to digitize their competition management activities. FIFA Connect provides a unique FIFA ID code for every individual who has a role in a football organization, acting as a digital football passport number and has the information and history of each stakeholder. The GFA has been a key partner for FIFA in testing various elements of FIFA Connect for the past six years.  Ghana VNR Dopesheet  . Exterior of Ghana FA in Accra  . Official using FIFA Connect system  . 008-0039 - Ghana FA General Secretary Prosper Harrison Addo   The FIFA Connect system is a huge leap. The FIFA Connect system is giving us a whole new level of comfort and enhances our work more than a hundred-fold. Players will tell you… and currently, we run a same-day service, so if a player needs an introductory letter to maybe go and do something, maybe go to apply for a visa to go and play abroad, they apply in the morning and then they get their introductory letter on the same day.”  . 0040-0120 - Ghana FA General Secretary Prosper Harrison Addo   If they don’t have a very good IT system like the FIFA Connect platform to register players and to play their matches very soon, they’re heading for a crash. Because the number of players is growing, the number of issues associated with you running an association without a registration platform like this is very risky. The risk is very high. And so, we engage with other associations every now and then, and some of them come here to also take lessons and look at what we are doing. And so, I would say that there is the willingness that this is the step to take.”  .Ghana FA IT Director Francis Adu speaking  . 0124-0210 - Ghana FA IT Director Francis Adu   With the implementation of the Connect project, it has given us a centralised database, where, with a click of a button, we can get any information that you need about a particular player, from junior to Premier level. Also, it helps us to generate player passports for our players. And, invariably, helping our clubs to make money in a sense that when it comes to claiming compensation, with the help of the player passports, it’s so much easier for the clubs to make their claims against other clubs that have the precious players from Ghana. So, the system has been very, very helpful.”  . 0211-0241 - Ghana FA IT Director Francis Adu   “At the end of a season, we can look at all the matches played in Ghana, all the goals scored, all the goal assists, the saves [made] by goalkeepers, and this is going to help our technical directorates in making decisions when it comes to the national-team level. So these are some of our main goals and objectives that we want to achieve in the near future.”  . Aduana Stars players in changing room  . 0243-0327- Aduana Stars Striker Yahaya Mohammed   It has empowered me. Because, at first, when you are training, you are thinking about travelling, going to sign your contract and registration forms. But now, you can concentrate 100% on the camp. You know, when your camp starts pre-season, it’s really important. You have to concentrate on it and [take in] everything that the coach has taught you. But during pre-season, because of registration, you are affected in a way. But with this [system], nobody goes anywhere. You’ll be there; they’ll register you. You don’t have any age problems, any date problems, any signature problems. When they register you, they register you. Everything is at a touch [of a button] on the system. So I think they’ve done very well bringing out this system.”  . 0330-0350 - Referee Joseph Kwofie   “This system, the CMS, has been very helpful. It has saved us from the posting system that [we used to] do. And also, it’s very fast: you can just be in your car and be doing it. Last time, right after the match, within ten minutes, I had done the report.  . 0351-0420 Head of the Competitions Department at Ghana FA Sena Akoto Ampaw   Once a player gets into the system from whichever age, he only moves from club to club in the system. They don’t need to keep records or go back to each club and then get records. Everything is with the FA [Football Association], everything is in the Cloud. Once you go into the system, you get access to whatever you want. I would encourage each and every FA to embrace it.”  Distributed by APO Group on behalf of FIFA.Contact for African media:  AfricanMedia@fifa.org