Sports Administrator Ankrah Steps Down from Books and Boots to Focus on NSA Leadership
The newly appointed Director-General of the National Sports Authority (NSA), Mr. Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, has officially stepped down from his role as the Founding Chief Executive Officer of the non-governmental organisation, Books and Boots.
His resignation concludes a 15-year tenure building the initiative, a move necessitated by the demands of his recent national appointment. Mr. Ampofo Ankrah, a renowned sports journalist and former BBC Fast Track host, founded the organisation as Street Soccer Africa in 2007, later rebranding it to Books and Boots ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Under his leadership, the NGO evolved from a monthly community soccer tour into a significant force in grassroots sports development. Its distinctive model focuses on integrating education and football, using sport as a tool for youth empowerment and community uplift.
Books and Boots is credited with forging strategic partnerships with institutions like the Right to Dream Academy, the Otumfuo Education Foundation, and Nestlé’s Milo. Its most notable achievement remains the early discovery of Black Stars midfielder Mohammed Kudus at a community event in Nima when he was nine years old, a testament to its talent identification philosophy.
The organisation’s Board is expected to announce a new Chief Executive Officer shortly, who will be tasked with steering its next phase of growth.
As Director-General of the NSA, Mr. Ampofo Ankrah now turns his full attention to overseeing the national sports ecosystem, while Books and Boots prepares to continue its mission under new leadership.
