Executive Council Member of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), sports entrepreneur and manager of the Asamoah Gyan Brand, Samuel Anim Addo, has proposed a major overhaul of Ghana's player development system, advocating compulsory participation in Colts football for Ghana-born players seeking to represent the country's national teams.

He believes the move would strengthen the quality of talent emerging into elite football while restoring the country's traditional player development pathway.

Speaking on Joy FM's Personality Profile with Lexis Bill on Thursday, August 6, Mr Anim Addo said one of his first policy decisions, should he ever become President of the Ghana Football Association, would be to ensure that every Ghanaian player earns national team selection through the domestic Colts system.

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"The first major thing I want to change is to make sure that if you want to play for the national team, you must play our Colts football, especially if you are born in Ghana. If you don't play Colts football, I won't let you play. It's a regulation because we are seeing a lot of half-baked players because people don't go through the mill," he said.

According to him, the increasing tendency to fast-track players into elite football without passing through structured youth competitions is weakening the country's football development model.

Drawing parallels with professional careers in other sectors, Mr Anim Addo said lasting success is built through gradual learning and experience rather than shortcuts.

"Even your job, look at where you started, from Kumasi; look at how you started. Most of you guys didn't just jump here to drive time, but a lot of people want to jump to play for the national team. They play one or two games; they want to play [for the national team]," he stated.

He further argued that football academies should be fully integrated into organised Colts competitions to expose young players to regular competitive matches and prepare them mentally for higher levels of the game.

"The first thing is that everyone must play in the Colts. Even if it's an academy, the academy must participate in the Colts League," he stressed.

Mr Anim Addo noted that organised youth football helps players develop confidence, resilience and the temperament required to succeed at the highest level.

Reflecting on football development models in leading football nations, he said street football and grassroots competitions continue to play an important role in nurturing technically gifted and mentally resilient players.

"We were learning a lot from the streets. If you look at England and Argentina, recently at the World Cup, Argentina used street football to beat England. It wasn't about who had quality; it was about now on the field. Let's use our 'takashi' on the field to play. Now, people don't play at the development level. When you do this, you watch; if you're at the same park, look at the crowd. So you build your temperament and your confidence," he explained.

Mr Anim Addo maintained that rebuilding Ghana football must begin at the grassroots, insisting that a vibrant Colts system would produce technically sound players with the discipline, confidence and competitive experience needed to excel for both club and country.

His proposal comes amid ongoing discussions within Ghana's football fraternity over the need to strengthen youth football structures and create sustainable pathways for developing the next generation of Black Stars players.