The Right to Dream Academy has been one of Ghana's production houses when it comes to developing talents.

Since it started its operation in Ghana in 1999 several players have come through the academy but not all have necessarily had the opportunity to play for any of the national teams.

The academy was founded by Tom Vernon, who served as Manchester United's head scout in Africa. It started on a small scale and, unlike most youth academies and independent of a professional team, with the aim of training a small number of boys who were initially housed in Vernon's home. Some scouts and other staff were volunteers.

Years on, Right to Dream seems to be the biggest talent production house in Ghana and has gone on to set up another in Egypt while also owning clubs such as Denmark's FC Nordsjaelland and recently announcing the purchase of new MLS club FC San Diego.

What started as just an academy for boys then moved to pave the way for girls too. In 2013, a girls’ youth system programme was introduced making it the first in Africa.

As of June 2023, the academy had graduated 282 students, per records on their website with most of them being males out of which over 157 are playing professional football globally.

Abdul Majeed Waris, Ernest Agyiri, Yaw Yeboah, Mohammed Kudus, Kamaldeen Sulemana and Ernest Nuamah, just to mention a few, are players that have come through the academy while others such as Maxwell Woledzi and Abdul Mumin are also looking to jump onto the scene after successfully going through the system.

The male-dominated environment could soon become balanced with the academy now producing a female footballer. Her name, Princess Marfo.

Princess Marfo got into the academy house as part of a trial programme which was held to scout both boys' and girls' talent.

She has been on the rise thereafter and went through the ranks before joining Danish FC Nordsjaelland, where she also had to start from the junior ranks.

But Marfo's time in the junior team didn't really take too much time as she was eventually promoted to the senior team. She became the first female to move through the Right to Dream Academy to join Nordsjaelland.

Then 18, Marfo made her debut for the club in the 2-0 win over Fortuna Hjorring in March 2022, during a league game and set a record by becoming the first female Right to Dream graduate to get playing time in Nordsjaelland's first team.

She went on to feature in five other games until the end of the 2021/22 season.

Despite her earlier impressions, Marfo really burst onto the scene fully during the 2022/23 season where she was a key member of the squad.

She had become a full first-team member and looked ready to play a crucial role for the club.

The midfielder scored her first goal for Nordsjaelland on October 14, 2022, in a league game against Brondby IF in a game her team recorded a 2-1 victory.

Her second was on May 14, 2023, as Nordsjaelland drew with HB Koge, a game she played all minutes available.

She ended the season having played 22 games and recorded two goals while she also had a trophy to her name.

There was something special about Marfo, about her game and it was no surprise when her jersey number was changed midway through the campaign with the Ghanaian taking the No.10 jersey having won 24 from the start of the season.

In June this year, she signed a contract extension with Nordsjaelland, putting pen to paper on a two-year deal.

"Princess is a perfect example of a player from Right to Dream. It has been fantastic to see her development from when she came to FC Nordsjælland to where she is now both as a player and as a person," Jessica Davis, Nordsjaelland's sporting director said.

"I am really happy that she has extended with FC Nordsjælland, and I am incredibly happy to be able to follow her development closely."

In July, Right to Dream held its first girls' only football trial looking to unleash another 'Princess Marfo' and the young star was there to see people with a burning desire to pursue the sport.

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It's a long way between now and the future but, of course, they will all be looking to achieve the same feat as Marfo has done in some years.

For Marfo, the 2023/24 season is a big one for her and she knows it.

She looks forward to building herself and sharing her story with the ones after her to continue the girl dream.

Though yet to make her national team debut, the midfielder is going about her normal duties on the pitch and has been watched already by Black Queens head coach Nora Hauptle during the previous season.