The 2025 edition of the Bankers Football League has been launched in Accra, with organisers and participating institutions pledging to use the tournament as a platform for fostering collaboration, promoting staff wellbeing, and building lasting friendships within Ghana’s banking industry. 

The competition is set to commence on July 12, with matches scheduled at the McDan Astroturf and the St Thomas Aquinas Senior High School pitch.

A preliminary gala will be held on June 28 and July 5 at the University of Ghana Sports Stadium to set the stage for the main tournament.

At the launch event on June 20 in Accra, the Head of Regulatory, Ethics, Forensics and Special Duties at the Ghana Association of Bankers, Collins Boamah, explained the rationale behind the initiative. 

“The purpose of organising this league is to foster collaboration, friendship, and ease the stress that comes with our enormous responsibilities as bankers,” he said. “We hardly get time to exercise, socialise or even unwind, and this league offers that balance between work and recreation.

He underscored the importance of camaraderie over competition, urging participants to prioritise networking and teamwork. “Though it’s a competition, the real value lies in the collaborative effort and socialisation. Fraud, for example, is a common enemy that requires collective response from all 23 banks. We must work together and not in silos,” he stressed.

Boamah also used the occasion to highlight the strategic goals of the Ghana Association of Bankers in using the league to strengthen cooperation across different functional departments, from security to research and finance.

A representative of the Bankers Football League (BFL) organising team, Erica Bansah, praised the growth of the initiative since its inception in 2018. “What began as a dream to promote professional friendship, wellness and entertainment has become an annual tradition,” she said.

Bansah expressed appreciation to the Ghana Association of Banks for its continued support and looked forward to even stronger collaboration in the years ahead.

She noted that weekly matches will take place on Saturdays through to the end of September. Enhancements have been made to the 2025 season, including an improved digital update platform to keep fans and teams informed in real time, and upgraded medical facilities to ensure the safety of players.

“While this is a competition, it is also a community,” she said. “Let’s play hard, stay fit, and above all, enjoy. Let’s uphold the values of discipline, respect, and excellence that define both football and our professional sector.”

Fixtures from the gala draw placed Ecobank, FirstBank, National Investment Bank and Zenith Bank in Group A; Bank of Ghana, Stanbic Bank, UBA, and UMB in Group B; CAL Bank, GT Bank, Access Bank and Absa Bank in Group C; and Consolidated Bank Ghana, Standard Chartered, Republic Bank and OmniBSIC in Group D.

CalBank, winners of the 2024 edition, will be hoping to defend their title after beating Bank of Ghana 2-0 in last year’s final. Trophies and cash prizes await this year’s winners, including special awards for best player, best goalkeeper and top scorer. Matches will last 30 minutes, played in two halves of 15 minutes each.