The Professional League Board "PLB", the body that runs the national football league in Ghana has a new name. It is now the Premier League Board. This change readily brings up the age old question of "what is in a name".

Without trying in anyway to show any disrespect to the board, I suspect the word professional was replaced because there appears to be nothing professional about the Ghana league. The participating clubs and the players themselves would agree that the tag professional prefixing the league is just the name. We need not even go far to compare ourselves to the practitioners in Europe, but just look north to our fellow Africans and the contrast is clear.

Apart from the blatant show of indiscipline at times by both players and officials who show utter disregard for rules and regulations of the competition, we never seem to have a clear cut programme going and meet deadlines. Sometimes, we behave as if there are more than 12 months in a calendar year. It is even doubtful whether we can stick to that lofty idea of synchronizing our league with those in Europe, so that we could fully benefit from FIFA’s calendar of international friendlies and other ancillary programmes.
In sum, I agree perfectly well that we drop the tag ‘professional’ until we are able to act as such.

It was former Minister of Sports E.T.Mensah, who decreed in 1994 that the league should turn professional and set up a seven- man Professional League Board but there was no clear defined work.

Veteran sports administrator Zac Bentum, was appointed chairman of the board with Mr. E. Lamptey as vice chairman cum treasurer. Other members were W.K.Agra(University of Ghana), Kofi Harlley(Registrar General’s department), Joe Aggrey, President of the Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG), Kojo Quarshie and Major Yaw Larsen, both of the National League Clubs Association. Lack of co-operation between the Football Association and the PLB did not see the latter performing admirably.

Later on, the PLB saw some new faces with another experienced football administrator Sylvester Mensah at the helm of affairs but not much was achieved. The PLB concept appeared to be a welcome innovation, but the extent of their power of jurisdiction continued to be elusive until another time tested football administrator Welbeck Abrah Appiah of Okwawu United fame arrived on the scene.

By a combination of circumstances Abrah Appiah’s tenure coincided with a new management style at the Football Association and it is clear that both the PLB and the GFA are comfortable with each other’s role in the administration of the sport. The PLB has been given a free hand to organize the league on behalf of the Football Association (FA).

The harmony between the FA and the PLB is perfect and there is every indication that the coming season would see a lot of exciting moments especially with the return of Herbert Mensah, the public relations man turned football administrator, who has the unique record of once heading both city rivals Kumasi Asante Kotoko and King Faisal Babies

Herbert Mensah is regarded by many followers of the game that he is a true professional administrator and his decision to manage Obuasi Goldfields confirms this assertion. Perhaps Kojo Fianoo, formerly chief executive of Goldfields and Vincent Odotei Sowah of Accra Hearts of Oak would like to follow Herbert’s professional stance in football administration. Vincent has transferred to King Faisal Babies as Chief Executive and Fianoo is reported to be eyeing the CEO seat of Accra Hearts of Oak.

Opinion is sharply divided on the issue of football club chief executives moving from one club to the other. One school of thought is that, these practice smacks of disloyalty and the other is that if players have the liberty to change clubs, why not team officials.

Dear reader, let’s have your say.

The sporting world is an interesting arena.And so keep on loving sports.