The Minister of Youth and Sports Clement Kofi Humado has thrown a challenge to the Ghana Beach Soccer Association (GBSA) to start serious groundwork to build a national team for the 2013 Beach Soccer World Cup. Ghana was absent when Senegal wrestled back the African beach soccer championship title after beating Nigeria 7-4 in the final of the2011 edition on Sunday, June 19, at the Abu Diab Beach in Casablanca, Morocco. Nigeria, the previous winners failed in their bid for an unprecedented third title as they were dominated by their fellow West African opponents with both teams qualifying for the Beach Soccer World Cup in Italy. . It was the second time after 2008 that the Senegalese have been crowned continental champions of beach soccer. The participating teams at the tournament held from 15-19 June finished in this order; Senegal, Nigeria, Egypt, Madagascar, Morocco, Algeria, Cote d’Ivoire, Libya and South Africa. Mr Humado said: ''The potential for Beach Soccer in this country is immense and after witnessing the recent Beach Soccer Cup in Keta, and the just ended African qualifiers for the World Cup, i believe we must also set a target to send a formidable team to compete with the best very soon''. The Minister also remarked that Beach Soccer could be the ''new passion for Ghanaians after association football if the right technical, logistical and marketing structures are put in place'' This follows the highly successful Easter Beach Soccer Cup in Keta which featured 8 teams including a side from Togo that contested in the final. The eventual winners, Havedzi Mighty Warriors were made up of local students who boast of over five years of playing constant beach soccer on the sands of Keta. Last week, the GBSA confirmed that the maiden Ghana beach soccer league will kick off at the end of the current rainy season after which a national team would be selected to represent the nation next year. The association has denied that it is dormant and not aggressive enough with implementing the numerous programmes it lined up at the end of last year in the Beach Soccer Project blueprint. Yaw Ampofo Ankrah who is the Chairman of the GBSA believes that once the 2011 Beach Soccer league is launched, Ghanaians would see the fruits of hard work that has been ongoing for the past two years. ''For example, Ghana does not have a single beach soccer arena at any of our coastal beach soccer sites and we must admit that the special anti rust goal posts are now being locally manufactured for the league'' The GBSA is confident that the league will take off as scheduled even though potential sponsors are slow to come on-board as first time sponsors for fear of being termed as guinea pigs to an emerging sport. According to Ampofo Ankrah, since being tasked to revamp Beach Soccer in Ghana two years ago, the GBSA has been putting structures in place including the completion of a regulations booklet and several training seminars. According to Bawah Fuseini who is the Secretary General of the GBSA, the National Sports Authority (NSA) has been instrumental in the re-organisation of the GBSA but on the quiet in order to adequately prepare for the league. "We all want to start something big very soon but it must be done right because we simply did not inherit any laid down [structures] and ready to use [those] structures for beach soccer. That is the reality but we are much closer to starting a league'' The GBSA has therefore urged all registered beach soccer clubs to complete registration formalities and submit two passport size photos with squad lists at association's at the Ohene Djan Sports Stadium. The green light for the commencement of the league follows consecutive and highly successful ''classroom theory'' training camps for beach soccer referees supervised by the National Sports Authority and Ministry of Youth and Sports. In order that Ghana meets the strict standards of the international rules and regulations body that governs Beach Soccer Worldwide (BSWW) certain basic conditions must be met including the start of a competitive league. Meanwhile the GBSA will this week also release the list of media ambassadors and officers to assist the association steer the media drive of Beach Soccer in Ghana. The list includes seasoned sports journalists like Maurice Quansah of Graphic Sports, Kennedy Boakye Ansah GTV Sports, Sammy Heywood Okine of Heritage newspaper and Charles Osei Asibey of Happy Sports. Other sports media personalities to be named as Beach Soccer officers are Veronica Commey of GNA, Ernest Koranteng of Joy Sports, Moses Antwi Benefo aka PJ of Asempa FM, Dan Kweku Yeboah of Peace FM and Radio Gold ace sports reporter Nana Darkwah. The GBSA also released the names of the first batch of registered and certified Beach Soccer clubs in Ghana. 1. James Town Octopus SC 2.Chorkor Blue Whales 3.Global Supporters SC (Ningo Prampram) 4.Tegbi Youth Club (Keta) 5.Osu Sea Lions SC 6.Senaya Soccer Sharks (Senya-Beraku) 7.Nima Beach Soccer Club 8.East Legon Sharks 9.Sunset Sports SC (Keta) 10.Aburiman SC (Aburi) 11.Gulf Powers BSC (Ada) 12.LaYoca SC 13. Tema Sea Warriors 14. Cape Coast Storm 15. Dansoman Tsunami