PHOTOS: Dutch coach inspires Eastern to beat hosts Ashanti Region in Airtel Rising Stars

Dutch exercise physiologist Bart Van Der Grinten caused somewhat of a sensation when he inspired the Eastern regional Under 15 team to beat perennial favorites Ashanti Region to the Zone Two Airtel Rising Stars championship.

Eastern Region’s Team A and Ashanti’s Team A finished five points apiece however the seemingly “smaller boys” had a better goal difference than their Ashanti counterparts.

The superior goal difference was largely attributable to a hat trick scored by Mohammed Musbau who instantly jumped to the front of the queue for the best player of the competition, an expectation he naturally fulfilled.

The Chairman of the Eastern Regional football Association A A Lawal who personally came to back his lads in Konongo over the two day period said: "People underrated our players because they thought they were too small. But we know we could play and therefore I kept inspiring them and speaking to the coaches to ensure they worked with the right strategy for us to win. And not only did we pick the Gold medals and trophies here, we also produced the best player of the competition. To do this against Ashanti Region, the powerhouse of Airtel Rising Stars and also at their own backyard in Konongo is unbelievable. The players deserve the praise. ”

By virtue of their championship feat, the Eastern Region will appear at the national finals of Airtel Rising Stars for the very first time. It is also the first time that Ashanti Region’s Boys Team will not appear at the national finals in the competition’s five year history.

The Ashanti Regional female team however salvaged some pride by beating their Eastern regional adversaries. Asahanti Region is the most dominant force in women’s juvenile football and the status quo was preserved. Blessing Shine Agbomadzie stood out for Francis Oti Akenteng, the Technical Director of the Ghana football Association.

"She is very good and she won the female player of the competition. This is a player we will track for development puposes. But aside Blessing, the standards of the competition has really been high. Airtel Rising Stars is really in the business of creating a future for these players. Once we see them like this and we recognize they have talent, we bring them to the attention of development coaches who are spread all over Ghana to monitor their progress.

Airtel Rising Stars has been variously referred to as “the most important football competition in Ghana or the most authentic football competition in Ghana. It is a collaboration between the Ghana Football Association and Airtel Ghana Limited.

This year, Airtel Rising Stars has created five zones which will feature all ten regional Under 15 teams. Already, Western Region Eastern Region as well as Ashanti ladies have picked their tickets fro the national finals to be held in Sunyani on the 29^th and 30^th of August.

The next stop for the Airtel Rising Stars is Wa in the Upper West region which will feature Brong Ahafo as guests and the Upper West region as hosts.