Many achieved footballers his pedigree are venturing into various business ventures after their respective playing careers. He surely has investments but has also decided to share his technical knowledge in the sport at no cost.
Former Ghana goalkeeper, Richard Kingson popularly known as Olele, has set up the RK 22 Goalkeeper’s Academy which trains goalkeepers for free in his native country.
His almost two-acre home in the high-end Adjirnganoor, Accra neighbourhood, has a gym and a mini-sized football pitch which is used as the main area for instruction and practicals.
“I train the goalkeeper’s for free because I have a passion for this job and want to transfer the knowledge to the younger generation.”
“I don’t feel right taking money from any of these young goalkeepers because I got the knowledge for free so why should I collect money for something I did not pay for?,” he asked in an exclusive interview on the Joy Sports Link on Joy FM.
According to the former Blackpool goalie, he has more than 20 goalkeepers whom he trains on a daily basis at his residence.
Goalkeeper Kingson who served as Goalkeeper’s Trainer under coach Kwasi Appiah during his second stint as Ghana coach also praised Richard Ofori’s work ethic.
“He is very disciplined and that’s the reason he is doing very well. He is a great guy and showed a lot of commitment to learning what I was teaching him,” Kingson said on the Joy Sports Link.
Richard Oofri currently plays for South African Premier League side Maritzburg United and was the Black Stars first-choice goalkeeper at the 2019 Africa Cup of nations.
Richard Kingson wants the current generation of goalkeepers to be disciplined not only on the football pitch but off it.
“As a goalkeeper, you need to be disciplined on and off the pitch because what happened off the pitch also affects your output. If you have issues off the pitch and you bring them along with you to a game, they will tell on your performance,” he added.
Kingson is however open to support from big brands and organisations who are oriented towards youth development.
“All we may need in the future is an upgrade in our equipment and the increase in their quantity to meet the demands of the time.
So I will be very grateful if I get the support in that regard so I could help the young ones,” he said.
Richard Kingson had a playing career that saw him play twice for Ghana at the FIFA World Cup, at the Africa Cup of Nations and many international friendlies. He also played in the EPL, Turkey, Sweden and Ghana at club level.
Source: Joy Sports
