Amoawi Methodist Primary School in the Ashanti Region beat off competition from 16 others to emerge champions of the 2019 MILO Under-13 Champions League held at the Paa Joe Park in Kumasi.

For their reward, the school received GH¢20,000.00, trophy, a Samsung tablet and three Milo smart balls, which were can connect to smart devices to give players real-time feedback on power, distance, spin, trajectory, number of touches and playtime.

St. Joseph International School in Ahafo and Bodaa R/C Primary in Bono also walked with GH¢12,000.00 and GH¢7,000.00 respectively with medals, Samsung tablets, and Milo smart balls for placing second and third.

At the end of the tourney, Amoawi Methodist Primary duo, Samuel Obeng and Abu Bempa were adjudged the best player and goalkeeper respectively.

Edward Ameka from Akweiman D/A Primary won the goal king accolade with nine goals in four matches whilst St. Joseph International and Talent Bridge Academy won the Fair play award.

According to the coach of Amoawi Methodist Primary, Mr. Albert Kwadje, the team had shown incredible talent throughout the tournament and it was rewarding to see them emerge champions at the end.

He congratulated his team and thanked Nestlé MILO for bringing the competition to their school.

In a speech read on behalf of Philomena Tan, Managing Director of Nestlé Ghana by Mr. Ousmane Kamara, Financial Controller of the company, she reiterated, “…the brand Milo has over the years highlighted the importance of education and sports development because we believe through sports and education, children learn lifelong values that would enhance their future choices and prospects on their journey to achieve their dreams and goals in life.”

She added that aside unearthing sporting talent in children, the Milo U-13 Champions’ League also promotes and demonstrates the importance of eating healthy and living active lifestyle. “Nestlé, in the spirit of Creating Shared Value will continue to engage and invest in young people through its brands including MILO, as part of our global ambition to help 50 million children live a healthier lifestyle by 2030”.

She thanked all partners including the Ghana Education Service for the great work done.

Nana Kweku Amankwah Sarkodie II, Chief of Sewea in the Bosomtwe District of the Ashanti Region, representing Otumfuo Osei Tutu II at the grand finale, thanked Nestlé for their contribution in developing the youth who will eventually find themselves in the National teams.

He encouraged other companies to emulate Nestlé to contribute to sports development in Ghana.

On his side, Emmanuel Dormenyah, Director of Physical Education and National Sports Coordinator of the Ghana Education Service, partner of the MILO U13 Champions league said, “It has been gratifying to partner with Nestlé to discover talents on a platform such as this.

We believe that combining sports with academics will bring the best out of the children as they learn life values on the field of play such as teamwork, dedication, and respect that help contribute to academic excellence”.

Tournament icon, Stephen Appiah who led and trained the teams ahead of each competition during the 2019 season encouraged the participants to continue building the talents they have while taking their education seriously.

Through the collaboration with Ghana Education Service, Nestlé MILO over the last 2 decades under its sports development program in schools has discovered talents such as Michael Essien, John Mensah, and Mubarak Wakaso.

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