At simply seven years previous, Asomaniwaa Akoto Akrofi is already turning heads on the planet of soccer, not as a participant, however as a promising younger referee.
Impressed by her older brother, who performs soccer, Asomaniwaa determined to take a distinct route within the sport. And that daring alternative is already paying off.
This week, she proudly took cost as a match official throughout the group-stage video games of the FIFA Girls’s Soccer Marketing campaign, hosted at Koforidua Technical College in Ghana on Could 29 and 30, 2025. The 2-day occasion, which ended yesterday, was a part of FIFA’s world effort to develop the ladies’s sport from the grassroots.
The marketing campaign, held in collaboration with the Ghana Soccer Affiliation (GFA), goals to introduce fundamental schoolgirls underneath the age of 12 to soccer in a enjoyable and secure surroundings. It focuses on small-sided video games, teamwork, confidence-building, and free play, guaranteeing that ladies develop not simply soccer expertise but additionally social and life expertise.
Asomaniwaa’s involvement as a referee was a standout second. Wearing a referee’s jersey, whistle in hand, she confidently officiated matches involving ladies not a lot youthful than herself. Her presence on the pitch introduced smiles and admiration from gamers, organisers, and spectators alike.
The spotlight of the marketing campaign was the five-a-side match, which supplied the women their first actual style of structured soccer. However past the objectives and tackles, the occasion served a much bigger function: serving to younger ladies discover their voice and keenness by sport.
Asomaniwaa is proof that soccer gives alternatives each on and off the pitch. With the fitting help, she may turn into one of many future stars of African soccer officiating.
