Captain Agyei Duah was the hero of the night as the Ashanti Region wrote their names into the history books, defeating Western Region 2-1 to lift the KGL U-17 Regional Championship title at the McDan Sports Complex in Teshie last Saturday.

The victory makes Ashanti Region the first team to win the competition twice, adding to their maiden triumph in 2023.

Duah struck twice in a dazzling first-half display to hand Ashanti a commanding two-goal cushion in the 2025 final.

Western, the defending champions, responded after the break through Ramzy Duah, but the Ashanti defence held firm until the final whistle to secure a landmark win in Ghana’s flagship juvenile tournament.

Road to victory

Ashanti’s campaign was far from smooth. Shock defeats to Volta and Eastern regions in the group stage left their qualification in jeopardy, but victories in the remaining fixtures carried them into the semi-finals as runners-up.

There, they faced free-scoring Greater Accra Region and prevailed 6-5 on penalties after a tense 1-1 draw, booking their place in the final.
Western Region, by contrast, had cruised unbeaten to the championship decider.

Their semi-final clash ended in a 1-0 victory over Central Region, extending their dominance. Yet, in last Saturday’s showdown, they found themselves chasing the game early and, despite rallying bravely in the second half, could not overturn Ashanti Region’s advantage.

Tournament of surprises

The 2025 edition, which kicked off on September 20 at the Ghanaman Soccer Centre of Excellence in Prampram, was the biggest yet, featuring 12 regional teams for the first time with the inclusion of the GFA’s two Elite Academies.

In the third-place play-off, Central Region claimed bronze, defeating Greater Accra 3-0 on penalties after a 1-1 stalemate.

Ashanti Region’s dominance was underlined by the individual awards. Captain Duah shared the Goal-King title with teammate Alidu Issah, both netting five goals, while Kelvin Baffoe was named Most Promising Player.

Greater Accra Region’s standout performer, Jeremiah Abalo, deservedly scooped the MVP award, while Western Region’s goalkeeper Frank Abu took home the Best Goalkeeper prize for his string of outstanding saves throughout the competition.