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Chairman Salifu Shaibu Zida (a.k.a. Salyman) is arguably one of the longest-serving Regional Football Association Chairmen as well as GFA Executive Committee Members in Ghana.
Over the years, Salyman has gathered so much knowledge and experience in football after having served in both the defunct Nyantakyi and Kurt GFA executive committees. He had the opportunity to serve on the management committees of various national teams, including serving as Chair of the managing boards of the national under-17 girls team and the male national under-17 team. In these capacities, he oversaw the invitation of a number of girls and boys from the region where Abedi Pele, Kwame Ayew, Dede Ayew, Jordan Ayem, Kwarasey, Razak Abalora etc. hail.
Our own Magdalene Awuni who was discovered and groomed into a very good female footballer was a beneficiary of Salyman's leadership.
One of his strong achievements is transforming the Upper East Regional Second Division league from the sorry state it was under his predecessor to a very well-organized and competitive league. He achieved this feat by developing rules and regulations to guide the organization, officiating, security and the management of the Upper East RFA Second Division League.
Chairman, for the love of football development, is renowned for using his own resources to sort out challenges militating against the participation of many struggling clubs in the region. This includes paying affiliation and officiating fees for some select clubs. In fact, in the last two seasons, the RFA under the leadership of Chairman Zida absorbed all the officiating fees of all 24 second division clubs in the region.
He is also a philanthropist and a man with a good heart. Yours truly can remember that in the 2009/2010 season, Wiaga United had a match in Bolga against Real Bolga United while Salyman's Bolga All Stars had a match in Sandema against defunct Atuga United. Wiaga United could not find a means to Bolga and were stranded in Wiaga. I [Evans Akangyelewon Atuick] called the RFA office and told them our challenge and moments later Chairman called to inform us that he was sending his own bus that brought them to Sandema to convey us to Bolga to play the league match. Lo and behold the bus came and took us to Bolga and we won the match 0-1. True to his words, they waited in Sandema until Wiaga United returned around 7 PM before they left for Bolga.
Salyman is also an astute football administrator par excellence as he is the only man to have qualified a club from the region to the premier league. Yes, Bolga All Stars went from a second-division side through Division One Zone 1A to the premier league. However, the team could not survive because they were forced to play both home and away matches in Tamale or Wa because there was no standard playing field in the whole Upper East.
Salyman made frantic efforts to get the politicians from Upper East at both the regional regional levels get the Bolga Stadium renovated but no support came. He dug a borehole, hired trucks to carry loamy soil onto the park, and planted green grass but the cost implications, the dire environmental conditions and the lack of support forced him to abandon the project.
Playing away from home hurt the fortunes of not only Salman's Bolga All-Stars but other teams from the region.
The lack of a standard football field to play competitive division one or premier league matches is a major reason why managers of qualifying clubs simply sell their teams to persons outside the region.
As a result, the Chairman and all football-loving people in the region have pleaded for the provision of a standard football field to give teams from the teams relief but no positive response was received. Even demonstrations held in Navrongo in a bid to force the hand of the government to complete the astroturf in Navrongo in time for Kassena-Nankana United to play its division one home matches there failed to yield the desired results. Sadly, handlers of Kassena Nankana United FC also had no choice but to sell too.
Chairman Zida's lamentations, pleas for help, and lobbying skills about the lack of a standard football venue as a member of the GFA Executive Committee is partly the reason why the GFA decided to allocate one of the FIFA Gold Project astroturfs to the Upper East Region. Today, the Upper East Region can also boast of having the Kurt Okraku FIFA gold project international standard Astroturf located at Winkogo Bolga.
Salyman has plans to facilitate the building of a permanent RFA office at the Kurt Okraku Astroturf. He also wants to improve grassroots juvenile football development by facilitating the establishment of more district football associations in districts that do not have them such as Builsa-North and South. He also plans to improve capacity building for club managers to be able to manage the clubs well and attract sponsors.
Chairman Zida comes up against his own Vice-Chairman Abel in the elections and he is urging the club administrators to retain him because he still has a lot to offer through his selfless devotion to duty and leadership skills.
As someone who has known and worked with Mr. Zida in my capacity as RFA Executive Member, Chairman of the Juvenile Football Committee and then Member of the GFA's National Juvenile Committee, I unreservedly endorse the leadership skills of Mr. Salifu Shaibu Zida.
Over the years, Salyman has gathered so much knowledge and experience in football after having served in both the defunct Nyantakyi and Kurt GFA executive committees. He had the opportunity to serve on the management committees of various national teams, including serving as Chair of the managing boards of the national under-17 girls team and the male national under-17 team. In these capacities, he oversaw the invitation of a number of girls and boys from the region where Abedi Pele, Kwame Ayew, Dede Ayew, Jordan Ayem, Kwarasey, Razak Abalora etc. hail.
Our own Magdalene Awuni who was discovered and groomed into a very good female footballer was a beneficiary of Salyman's leadership.
One of his strong achievements is transforming the Upper East Regional Second Division league from the sorry state it was under his predecessor to a very well-organized and competitive league. He achieved this feat by developing rules and regulations to guide the organization, officiating, security and the management of the Upper East RFA Second Division League.
Chairman, for the love of football development, is renowned for using his own resources to sort out challenges militating against the participation of many struggling clubs in the region. This includes paying affiliation and officiating fees for some select clubs. In fact, in the last two seasons, the RFA under the leadership of Chairman Zida absorbed all the officiating fees of all 24 second division clubs in the region.
He is also a philanthropist and a man with a good heart. Yours truly can remember that in the 2009/2010 season, Wiaga United had a match in Bolga against Real Bolga United while Salyman's Bolga All Stars had a match in Sandema against defunct Atuga United. Wiaga United could not find a means to Bolga and were stranded in Wiaga. I [Evans Akangyelewon Atuick] called the RFA office and told them our challenge and moments later Chairman called to inform us that he was sending his own bus that brought them to Sandema to convey us to Bolga to play the league match. Lo and behold the bus came and took us to Bolga and we won the match 0-1. True to his words, they waited in Sandema until Wiaga United returned around 7 PM before they left for Bolga.
Salyman is also an astute football administrator par excellence as he is the only man to have qualified a club from the region to the premier league. Yes, Bolga All Stars went from a second-division side through Division One Zone 1A to the premier league. However, the team could not survive because they were forced to play both home and away matches in Tamale or Wa because there was no standard playing field in the whole Upper East.
Salyman made frantic efforts to get the politicians from Upper East at both the regional regional levels get the Bolga Stadium renovated but no support came. He dug a borehole, hired trucks to carry loamy soil onto the park, and planted green grass but the cost implications, the dire environmental conditions and the lack of support forced him to abandon the project.
Playing away from home hurt the fortunes of not only Salman's Bolga All-Stars but other teams from the region.
The lack of a standard football field to play competitive division one or premier league matches is a major reason why managers of qualifying clubs simply sell their teams to persons outside the region.
As a result, the Chairman and all football-loving people in the region have pleaded for the provision of a standard football field to give teams from the teams relief but no positive response was received. Even demonstrations held in Navrongo in a bid to force the hand of the government to complete the astroturf in Navrongo in time for Kassena-Nankana United to play its division one home matches there failed to yield the desired results. Sadly, handlers of Kassena Nankana United FC also had no choice but to sell too.
Chairman Zida's lamentations, pleas for help, and lobbying skills about the lack of a standard football venue as a member of the GFA Executive Committee is partly the reason why the GFA decided to allocate one of the FIFA Gold Project astroturfs to the Upper East Region. Today, the Upper East Region can also boast of having the Kurt Okraku FIFA gold project international standard Astroturf located at Winkogo Bolga.
Salyman has plans to facilitate the building of a permanent RFA office at the Kurt Okraku Astroturf. He also wants to improve grassroots juvenile football development by facilitating the establishment of more district football associations in districts that do not have them such as Builsa-North and South. He also plans to improve capacity building for club managers to be able to manage the clubs well and attract sponsors.
Chairman Zida comes up against his own Vice-Chairman Abel in the elections and he is urging the club administrators to retain him because he still has a lot to offer through his selfless devotion to duty and leadership skills.
As someone who has known and worked with Mr. Zida in my capacity as RFA Executive Member, Chairman of the Juvenile Football Committee and then Member of the GFA's National Juvenile Committee, I unreservedly endorse the leadership skills of Mr. Salifu Shaibu Zida.