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Known
for his sizzling pace and consistent threat to score, Chicago Fire forward
David Accam has made his presence felt on the field in each stop of his
professional playing career. But along the way, Chicago's Ghanaian Designated
Player also has developed a desire to make an equal impact off the pitch, and
recently had the chance to do just that in the place where it all began for
him.
While
the Fire were on a week-long break that coincided with MLS’ pause for Copa
America Centenario, Accam was back in Ghana helping unveil a brand new
community pitch to benefit the Right to Dream Soccer School in Kumasi.
“After
my graduation from Right to Dream, I decided to give back to the community, to
Ghana as a whole,” he said. “I asked Right to Dream what was the best possible
way I could help to give back to the community and they told me about the
project they were doing.”
Known as
the David Accam Community Pitch, the project was the result of a partnership
between Accam, African oil company Tullow Oil, and the ENAS Hybrid School,
which offers students both local and international education in Kumasi. The
pitch will be a base for Right to Dream activities, but will also serve as a
gathering place for the entire local community to come together and expand
their soccer horizons.
“In the
northern part of Ghana, this is the first artificial pitch they have, so it’s
kind of like a tourist attraction for most of the people in that place,” Accam
said. “Everyone just goes there and tries to look at the pitch because some of
them have never seen this kind of pitch before so they just go there to look at
the pitch. It’s good. It’s a good feeling.”
Kumasi,
a city four hours northwest of Accam’s native city of Accra and the
second-largest in Ghana, is home to an extension of the Right to Dream Academy
that Accam himself graduated from in 2008.
“Kumasi
is one of the football capitals of of Ghana, a big football city,” Robin
Bourne-Taylor, Managing Director of Right to Dream, said. “It worked really
well there, and David has been very keen and eager to give back. It’s one of
the pillars of what our organization does. A lot of our education is steered
towards giving back.”
The
academy, founded in 1999, serves to help discover and develop strong character
both on-and-off the soccer field in Ghana by providing opportunities to young
people that may not otherwise receive them. After providing Accam with a
launching point into his career as a professional footballer, the now
25-year-old has made it a point to stay active and involved with Right to Dream
throughout his stints in England, Sweden, and now Chicago.
“I stay
in contact with them every day,” Accam said. “I mentor some of their kids.
Every time I go back home I go to the academy. I talk to the kids. I think most
of them want to be like me, to get to the level I’m at now, so I try to share
my experience in my time with them.”
The
opening of the pitch marked the completion of a project that Accam has been
working on during most of his time with the Fire, and the opening ceremonies
that took place in Kumasi served as its rewarding conclusion.
“It took
about a year from when we decided to do it,” he said. “It was great. We had
some important dignitaries at the event. For me, one of it the greatest
feelings in my life was doing this, giving back to the community and helping
young kids. That feeling is unreal. I’ve never felt that way before.”
Accam
continues to take his impact both on-and-off the field to new heights in 2016,
and -- as in Chicago -- his presence has been a welcome one to Ghana’s next
generation of soccer players.
“We’re
really glad he could come over and be a part of it,” Bourne-Taylor said. “It
was really special.”
For more
information on the Right to Dream Academy, visit RightToDream.com.
Source:
Chicago-fire.com
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