OUR JOURNEY

2021

Coach of the Black Starlets, Maxwell Konadu invited thirty (30) players to camping at the Ghanaman Soccer Centre of Excellence. This was part of the exercise to build a strong male U-17 national team for future competitions. A number of players were drawn from the U-15 team with others selected from scouting by the coach. Solomon Ewuah of Lead First Academy chanced to be one of those scouted players prior to his achievement as the best U-13 player of the 2019 juvenile cup.

2022

The glamourous award ceremony organised on 24th September 2022 by the Shama District Ghana Football Association (GFA) brought us another glory where our U-17 were crowned Juvenile champions of the year. Our captain, Edward Dadzie emerged as the top goal scorer. One of our coaches, Joseph Ahadzi, was also awarded the best coach of the year 2022.

LEAD FIRST ACADEMY WINS THE SHAMA DISTRICT U-17 GFA JUVENILE CUP

2022

Lead First Academy was Founded by Godwin Locher and Vincent Dadzie as a football education program that uses football as a catalyst to encourage students to stay in school, building on previous experience with Huracan FC. The program returned 9 school dropouts back to the classroom, with impressive academic and social improvement. We are very proud of our achievements and the hard work of a lot of people connected with the club's success. In order for us to continue this flourishing momentum of impacting the lives of these young people, Lead First Academy has opened its doors to build the first-ever not-for-profit inclusive soccer residency Academy in the Western Region of Ghana.

LEAD FIRST ACADEMY REGISTERED AND LAUNCHED AS A NOT-FOR-PROFIT RESIDENTIAL ACADEMY

2024

We introduced our full-time residential program, marking a significant step toward providing a structured and supportive environment for our student-athletes. This initiative allows our athletes to be engaged in a safe, nurturing and conducive atmosphere to develop their professional skills, academic proficiency and their character.

LEAD FIRST ACADEMY COMMENCES A FULL-TIME RESIDENTIAL FOOTBALL PROGRAM

2024

LEAD FIRST ACADEMY PARTNERS WITH INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TO PROVIDE TOP QUALITY EDUCATION TO STUDENT-ATHLETES

At Lead First Academy, education is just as important as professional football development. We strive to ensure that our student-athletes receive the best education possible in order to improve educational outcomes and prepare them for a life of excellence in and out of football. Our partnership with Kingdom Kids International School proves this.

2025

LEAD FIRST ACADEMY FORMS STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP WITH JK FOOTBALL ACADEMY, ISTANBUL, TURKEY

We are proud to announce a groundbreaking partnership between Lead First Academy and JK Football Academy, a premier football development institution based in Istanbul, Turkey.

This collaboration aims to:

Develop a structured player development framework focusing on technical, tactical, and psychological growth.
Facilitate scouting events, international trials, and exchange programs to help players transition into professional football.
Promote education and character-building alongside elite sports training.
Foster mutual growth through shared resources, joint tournaments, and global exposure.

About JK Football Academy:

JK Football Academy is dedicated to nurturing young African football talent and providing pathways to professional opportunities in African and European football. The academy has a track record of:

Participating in prestigious tournaments like the African Cup of Nations Turkey and the Nations Unity Cup, securing multiple championships.
Producing alumni who have transitioned to professional football careers in countries such as Turkey, Austria, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia, Kosovo, and the Netherlands.

This partnership is more than football — it’s about creating life-changing opportunities, fostering discipline, and building a model of excellence that can be replicated across the continent.

Together, we are investing in the future of African talent and preparing them for the global stage.

Vision

By 2040, Lead First Academy will be the first-ever nonprofit Academy of excellence that provides talented youth with high-quality full-time academic classes, and professional football training with technical and life skills sessions; preparing them to thrive and lead as ethical leaders in a rapidly changing world.

Mission

Provide the finest youth soccer and academic training environment that identifies, develops, and prepares student-athletes to be all they can be - ethically, athletically, and academically - and provide them with a foundation for success in all aspects of their lives.

Core Objectives

Core Values

Identifying sports talents in disadvantaged young people and giving them a chance at making a career even away from our academy as well as other professions.
Engage young people in physical, moral and technical and vocational education with a view to reducing the crime rate, drug abuse as well as the fight against HIV/AIDS.
Building friendship ties with stakeholders as well as other sports-oriented entities and participating in activities that promote friendship, tolerance and fight against racism and all forms of discrimination.

Humility
Hard work
Honesty

Teamwork
Respect
Discipline

Academy Partners

We're currently working with these incredible community of partner organisations to support the academy's experience to be more inclusive and accessible to all disadvantaged children.