Nestle Ghana launches 2019 Milo U-13 Champions League

The launch was done in collaboration with the Ghana Education Service (GES) at the Nestle Head Office in Accra on Friday.

Currently in its fifth year, the Milo U-13 Champions League is part of the Milo Grassroots Sports Development programme which has been in existence for the past two decades.

The tournament aims to discover young talents in the basic schools across the country and to promote active lifestyle through sports education.

Speaking at the launch, the Managing Director of Nestle Ghana, Philomena Tan, emphasised the need to invest in the youth.

She expressed hope that this year’s edition of the Milo U-13 Champions League would unearth more talents, as has been the case in previous years.

“Children are the future of this country. It is therefore essential to invest in them with the right knowledge, skills and resources to position them for greatness,” Ms. Tan said.

“Nestle, with the firm conviction that with sports development programmes in schools such as the Milo U-13 Champions League, we can help our children discover their talents while cultivating healthier lifestyle.”

The Director General of the Ghana Education Service, Prof. Kwasi Opoku Amankwa, also heighted the importance of sports in the lives of children.

He said engaging in sports helps to reduce the chances of children dropping out of school or getting involved in other social vices.

Also in attendance at the event were former Black Stars players Stephen Appiah, John Paintsil and Augustine Arhinful.

Appiah, who is a tournament icon for the Milo U-13 Champions League, said the tournament presents the perfect opportunity to inspire children to take sports seriously.

He urged the young players to cultivate the habit of teamwork, adding that he hopes to see more youth players progress to become mega football stars.

The former Ghana captain further called on football clubs, corporate bodies and the media to support this initiative by Nestle Ghana.

The theme for the 2019 Milo U-13 Champions League is “Team Makes Me”.

The tournament is held at three major stages; district, regional and national levels. This year, 64 schools will compete in four zones of which 16 schools will advance to the finals. The qualified schools represent the 16 regions of Ghana.

Zone 1 has schools from the Northern, Upper East, Upper West, Savannah and North East regions.

Zone 2 consists of schools from the Bono East, Ahafo, Ashanti and Bono regions.

Zone 3 includes schools from the Central, Western North and Western regions.

Zone 4 also has schools from the Greater Accra, Volta, Eastern and Oti regions.

The finals of the 2019 Milo U-13 Champions League will be played in the Ashanti region.