The Sports industry in Ghana has several journalists who have represented Ghana on the international stage. 

However, many often wonder what will happen after the current bigwigs step out of the limelight?

With the growing interest in the Ghana Premier League and the stellar performances displayed by Ghanaian footballers abroad, Ghana's sports industry is experiencing a renaissance. The next generation of sports journalists are already stepping up to the challenge. 

Today we are discovering excellence in a young man who has paved his way into making a considerable impact in the Sports Industry in Ghana. He was once considered to be among the 100 most-promising journalists in the world. 

Today, he has lived up to his potential and is making waves in the world of Sports Journalism. 

Meet Mr. Owuraku Ampofo. 

In this brief interview, we try to uncover the story behind the man as Owuraku Ampofo brings down the curtains and shares with us how it all began for him. 

Q: Tell us a bit about yourself.

I am Owuraku Ampofo. On October 9, 1996, I was born to adorable parents who have supported me throughout my life. As an Akan, I cannot do without fufu and goat light soup. Green is my favourite colour, and I am an avid fan of the beautiful game of football. I watch many different teams, but my favourite club is Chelsea. 

Q: More on that particular topic, how big of an impact would you say football had on you growing up?

Pretty huge. Growing up in Koforidua, all I cared about was football. I would spend hours playing with my friends, sometimes without my parent’s knowledge of my whereabouts because I snuck out most of the time. I gave them a few scares with injuries, breaking my glasses, getting home late, and what have you. They didn’t approve at the time because I was young, and they didn’t want me to get distracted from my studies, but I think deep down they knew I was always going to gravitate towards football.

Q. How good were you as a player?

Well, In high school, I participated in many sports because I was very athletic. However, again, football was my domain: I was fast, had a good height on my jumps and years of street-style soccer had equipped me with the skills to play among the best in the school team, which was stacked with incredible talent. I attended Presbyterian Boys Senior High School (PRESEC) and there were a lot of talented players in the school team at the time. 

Q: So did you think of going pro?

Yes, I did. I attempted it. After high school, I informed my parents, and they said,” look, you have 6-8 months before University offers come. If you work hard enough to make something out of it in that period, you have our full support.”

So I started training and playing with a Division 3 Club. I played there for a couple of months. I had trials at Right to Dream, but essentially, it didn’t work out, so I dropped it to pursue a degree In Computer Science at Ashesi University.

Q: That is an exciting twist in the plot. Given your passion for football, it couldn’t have been an easy decision.

You’re absolutely right. Football meant a lot to me, but I had to come to terms with the reality that a professional career as a player was not for me. Fortunately, I had developed a strong interest in other areas by that time, so the transition was not as painful as it would have been if all my eggs were in that basket. I have my parents to thank for that. They constantly pushed me to excel in my studies while still supporting my obsession with the game.

Q: So you gave up on a professional career, but evidently, you didn’t divorce football completely. How did you find yourself doing what you do now as a sports journalist?

There was this senior back in Ashesi. He had known me for a while, and he appreciated my skills as a player. I had refused several of his requests to join his team because I was more focused on school. During one vacation, He called and told me about a Sports show gig he had at Joy. That day, an analyst for one of the shows could not make it to the studio, so he recommended to me the producers who wanted a temporary replacement. 

I had an hour to prepare. I took ‘Okada’ to the studio, presented my analysis, the host of the show, George Addo, liked it and BOOM, I was in the business. I was invited every week after that on the show; I started writing for MyJoyOnline; I started making friends there. I did a couple of internships there and fell in love with the work.

Q: You have carved out a niche for yourself in this industry. You are widely known as the man with all the statistics. What motivated you to approach Sports journalism the way you have.

As you rightly said, I was into journalism full-time for a little over a year, simply reporting on stories like everyone else until my Dad, who is a Career consultant, pulled me aside and said: “Son, now you have settled in as a journalist, it’s time to create your own space; make yourself known for something unique. So think of something to specialize in.”  

After about three months, I had a eureka moment: I realized most of our local reporting on Sports was not backed by reliable quantitative data. I had the skills as a computer scientist to introduce that to the industry, and I devoted more of my time to studying and improving my skills in that regard. That’s how I got into Sports data journalism.

Q: Can you tell us more about Sports Data Journalism?

To sum up, Sports Data journalism is all about recording and transmitting quantitative data on Sporting events. The timing of micro-events within the game, how many fouls by each team, how many goals conceded, possession statistics and even player ratings are examples of data that a Sports Data Journalist provides. 

All these are important metrics for gauging the performance and efficiency of Sporting Systems around the world. It’s one reason Sports in the United States is relatively much bigger and better than in most regions of the earth, even European soccer. 

The Americans don’t joke with their statistics.

Q: Do you see it playing a more significant role in local Sports reporting?

When I started, people did not appreciate it. Even now that I am gaining some recognition for it, it’s still undervalued, and I know with time, Ghanaians will warm up to it because it empowers the industry in so many ways. For instance, people will be more willing to invest capital through betting and other means; coaches will have better objective perspectives in selecting players, agents can better evaluate talents to push, even club management will be able to properly allocate funds for sporting projects when they have statistics to inform their decisions. 

I know it will be big soon. I am glad I get to be a pioneer in this endeavour.

Q: You have had challenges over the years, but you have also garnered some success. What are core principles or ethics you abide by in your professional and personal life that has made this possible?

To start with, I believe I must do the work no matter what. Even if I have to cut sleep or make sacrifices to finish, I will. I believe in hard work, I believe in ambition, and I believe in teamwork, mainly because you can’t do everything yourself. 

Ultimately, you need to learn. I am a life- long learner. Every new relationship is an opportunity to learn every challenge, and that is how I better myself every day.

What memorable experiences do you have to share in the world of journalism?

I have cherished memories of covering the Ghana Premier League, going to match stadia. I have met giants in the industry: I once had a one-on-one with Asamoah Gyan’s agent where he confirmed Baby Jet’s transfer live on TV – that was big for me. 

A memorable experience was also when I was sent to London amongst a group of 100, deemed the most-promising journalists in the world, a few years ago. I think that is what set me up for success in the industry. It pushed me into the limelight and separated me from my peers, and made me realize how ample the opportunity in front of me was. It gave me the confidence to keep on pushing.

Thank you for sharing your story with us, Mr Ampofo. We hope that in sharing this, more people will be inspired to follow in your footsteps.