0:00:02 > 0:00:07Every day of the week 200 million children around the world go out to work.
0:00:08 > 0:00:10Children who work in circuses in Russia...
0:00:12 > 0:00:14..on chocolate plantations in Africa...
0:00:15 > 0:00:17..children who work in Bollywood...
0:00:19 > 0:00:23..and children who want to be Africa's next big football star.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26Welcome to the world of Children At Work.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36Football is a worldwide passion.
0:00:36 > 0:00:38It's my passion too.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43I play for Handsworth United and train young British footballers in Birmingham.
0:00:46 > 0:00:51I'm originally from the Gambia and this is my journey back into the world of African football.
0:00:51 > 0:00:56On this continent, it's not just a game, it's a way of life.
0:00:58 > 0:01:02And nowhere is the love of football stronger than in West Africa.
0:01:02 > 0:01:06Oh, Ghana!
0:01:08 > 0:01:12I'm Ousman Manneh, I'm in Ghana and this is the real African football.
0:01:18 > 0:01:22I've travelled more than 3,000 miles to the most football-crazy country in Africa
0:01:22 > 0:01:24to find out the whole story.
0:01:27 > 0:01:32Ask an African kid who he wants to play for when he grows up and you can guess the answer.
0:01:32 > 0:01:34Manchester? Ah, come on!
0:01:34 > 0:01:35Arsenal, yes?
0:01:35 > 0:01:38Arsenal, yeah? Good man!
0:01:38 > 0:01:40Drogba makes it 3-0!
0:01:41 > 0:01:44They want to be like their heroes, Ivory Coast's Didier Drogba
0:01:44 > 0:01:46and Ghana's Asamoah Gyan.
0:01:51 > 0:01:55But behind the dream lies the reality that football is now an international trade.
0:01:55 > 0:01:57Move, come on!
0:01:57 > 0:02:01There's a lot of fortune to be made out there in football, but it doesn't always work out.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05The growing popularity of top-class African players in Europe
0:02:05 > 0:02:08is unintentionally creating a market in young players.
0:02:10 > 0:02:15Thousands have ended up homeless and abandoned on the streets of Europe.
0:02:24 > 0:02:30I want to know why African football, which can change people's lives for the better, can also be a trap.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44I'm really excited, I can't wait.
0:02:44 > 0:02:46You expect to be tired, but I'm not.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53Well, it is 33 degrees outside.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57I'm on my way to the Polo Football Academy,
0:02:57 > 0:03:02one of an estimated 500 unofficial football academies dotted all over the capital Accra,
0:03:02 > 0:03:07even squeezed in amongst the market stalls, wherever there is space to kick a ball.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18How are you doing, mate? You all right...?
0:03:18 > 0:03:19'I'm met by one of the coaches.'
0:03:19 > 0:03:22- My name's Paul.- Paul. Nice to meet you, Paul. How's it going?
0:03:22 > 0:03:27'The kids here take their football seriously, training for two hours, four days a week
0:03:27 > 0:03:29'straight after school.
0:03:33 > 0:03:38'Academies like this one have been criticised for building false hopes among the children'
0:03:38 > 0:03:42with coaches and agents egging them on so they can make money out of them.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47- Are there good footballers?- Yeah. - Really good?- Very good.- Yeah.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50And they all want to become footballers when they grow up?
0:03:53 > 0:03:58There's like one big full pitch and there's like three different teams playing on the same pitch.
0:03:58 > 0:04:04The way they decide to... manage to cut their pitch down and create space for everyone.
0:04:06 > 0:04:07Here, here, here!
0:04:14 > 0:04:16This is where it all starts.
0:04:16 > 0:04:20Every African footballer who's made it big time started on a pitch like this,
0:04:20 > 0:04:22and then on to grass and football boots.
0:04:31 > 0:04:35Wadada, like the rest of the coaches here, has no official qualifications,
0:04:35 > 0:04:40but he is looking for the outstanding talent that will make him and his academy famous
0:04:40 > 0:04:41and, let's be honest, rich.
0:04:44 > 0:04:49- How do the players get here? Do you scout them?- Most of them are scouted, most of them.
0:04:49 > 0:04:53I give them a place to sleep so that I'll keep training them.
0:04:53 > 0:04:58- OK, so you accommodate them and you feed them?- Yeah. - And train them?- Yeah.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01- So basically this is like an investment?- Yeah.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04- You train players and then you sell them to make a profit?- Yeah.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09I was amazed to hear Wadada takes boys into his own home.
0:05:13 > 0:05:17Being here at the Polo Academy reminds me of my childhood in Gambia.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20It's actually bringing back a lot of memories.
0:05:20 > 0:05:25I used to play on grounds exactly like this...stones...sand...
0:05:28 > 0:05:29Pass it.
0:05:30 > 0:05:36It's very different from Handsworth in Birmingham where I live and regularly coach young footballers.
0:05:36 > 0:05:38Control, pass.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40You pass the ball...
0:05:40 > 0:05:43They also dream one day of becoming professional players,
0:05:43 > 0:05:46but for me football isn't just about getting rich,
0:05:46 > 0:05:48it's also about developing yourself as a person.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50Go faster!
0:05:50 > 0:05:51Well done!
0:05:51 > 0:05:53Well done! Well done! Come on...
0:05:56 > 0:05:59Here at the Polo Academy it's a whole different story.
0:06:01 > 0:06:06For two young players, 15-year-old Abel and 13-year-old Bryce,
0:06:06 > 0:06:09who've been coming here for more than five years, the path ahead is clear.
0:06:09 > 0:06:14- Do you think Polo is helping you become a footballer?- Yes.- Yeah?- Yes.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18So what team would you want to play for when you go Premier, what team?
0:06:18 > 0:06:20- Chelsea. - You want to play for Chelsea?
0:06:20 > 0:06:22- You want to be the new Essien for Chelsea?- Yeah.
0:06:22 > 0:06:27- So how confident are you that you're going to make it? 100%- Yes.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32But how realistic are these boys' chances of fulfilling their ambition?
0:06:33 > 0:06:39Polo's sponsor Paul and coach Ibrahim suggest success is simply down to the boys' commitment.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42- Do you think the kids are going to make it?- Definitely.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45- Confident?- 100%.- 100%?
0:06:45 > 0:06:49What about you? What do you think of the boys? Are they good enough to make it?
0:06:49 > 0:06:51They are good. They're supposed to come to training every day,
0:06:51 > 0:06:54because really boys need training. If he's not training, he can't play football.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58Do you think they have a chance to go to Europe and make it?
0:06:58 > 0:07:03You said 100%. So what happens if some of these players don't make it in football?
0:07:03 > 0:07:04Definitely they'll make it.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12So far none of the youngsters training at Polo has made it to Europe,
0:07:12 > 0:07:16though two of them have been sold to a Ghanaian First Division club.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21But you can't blame the kids for having a dream.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25I think these coaches are really, really misleading these kids.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28You can't tell someone that you're going to become a footballer,
0:07:28 > 0:07:30100% that you're going to become a footballer.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33You can't tell someone that. It's not possible.
0:07:33 > 0:07:38Giving kids such unrealistic ambitions can make them vulnerable to scouts and agents
0:07:38 > 0:07:41who tell them they'll make it to Europe when they won't.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55It's everyone's dream to play in a stadium like this one...
0:07:56 > 0:08:00..Ghana's National Stadium, home to their legendary team the Black Stars.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06I'm here to meet Abdul Yartey, a professional scout.
0:08:08 > 0:08:15Way back in Africa, they play football for the love of the game.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17Now it's no more.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20We love the game, we have the passion of the game...
0:08:21 > 0:08:28..but we know that football is the only job you can do now in the world
0:08:28 > 0:08:31and then quickly you get rich.
0:08:31 > 0:08:35So what motivates you as a scout? Is it money or are you trying to help the players,
0:08:35 > 0:08:38the children in Ghana get into European football?
0:08:38 > 0:08:40First and foremost, helping the boys,
0:08:40 > 0:08:43and that is how I managed to come into scouting,
0:08:43 > 0:08:46and then, secondly, the money.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48So for kids that are out there in the streets,
0:08:48 > 0:08:51what advice for them that want to go through the same process?
0:08:51 > 0:08:56We have too many kids now in Africa so desperate to move.
0:08:56 > 0:09:02You know, we are rushing to move to Europe to play.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05What I can say is be patient.
0:09:06 > 0:09:11Pass through the proper system, pass through the hands of good agents,
0:09:11 > 0:09:13and go to good clubs.
0:09:15 > 0:09:20That way, you'll not just be taken to Europe, somebody makes money out of you,
0:09:20 > 0:09:22and then just abandons you somewhere.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27Kids here work hard from a very young age,
0:09:27 > 0:09:31so it's no wonder they and their families are looking for an escape from poverty.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36Ghana is a very beautiful country on the Atlantic Ocean,
0:09:36 > 0:09:41but a third of the population here live on less than a dollar a day. Football is a way out
0:09:41 > 0:09:45and that's why some of these families are only too happy to send their kids far away.
0:09:52 > 0:09:56To find out more, I'm going to Cheetah FC in Ghana's capital Accra.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59It's run by the scout, Abdul Yartey.
0:10:08 > 0:10:13It's the dream of every family to see their boy playing in Europe or outside Africa.
0:10:13 > 0:10:20We do believe that aside of fame, the boy will be getting some money,
0:10:20 > 0:10:24so I try to take care of the family as well.
0:10:24 > 0:10:26Move, move, move!
0:10:26 > 0:10:28Ernest is one of Yartey's promising footballers
0:10:28 > 0:10:31whose dream of making it to Europe seemed to come true
0:10:31 > 0:10:35when he was invited to trials in Turkey by two major clubs.
0:10:35 > 0:10:39I was happy because my aim in life is to play in Europe.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42So when I got the opportunity to go to Europe, I was happy.
0:10:42 > 0:10:48And all my friends were also happy because it's not easy to get to Europe to play.
0:10:48 > 0:10:53So I was happy and my family was happy for their boy is travelling to Europe to play.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59Still only 16, Ernest flew off to Europe,
0:10:59 > 0:11:04a new continent to him, on his own, entrusting himself to a complete stranger, his new agent.
0:11:04 > 0:11:10So did you meet this agent before you went to Istanbul or did you actually meet him in...?
0:11:10 > 0:11:12- I meet him in Istanbul. - So you didn't know him?- I didn't.
0:11:12 > 0:11:16So was you a bit worried, like, going to a different country and meeting someone that you...?
0:11:16 > 0:11:21No! I was very scared the first time because I don't know anybody in Europe,
0:11:21 > 0:11:25and I was scared that when I got to the airport I wouldn't find anybody.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28But lucky for me when I get to the airport they were there holding my name,
0:11:28 > 0:11:30then I go to them and they pick me up.
0:11:32 > 0:11:36The trials went well, but he was too young to sign a contract,
0:11:36 > 0:11:39so he was sent back home after a couple of months.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43Luckily for him, he could return to his club and Yartey
0:11:43 > 0:11:47who still supports his dream of becoming an international player.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51But not everyone's so fortunate.
0:11:51 > 0:11:55Every year, thousands of young Africans are abandoned on the streets of Europe
0:11:55 > 0:11:58when unscrupulous agents let them down.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01The next part of the story takes us to France.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17I slept in the street and I slept in the underground.
0:12:19 > 0:12:23My suitcase didn't have enough warm clothes, just my football kit
0:12:23 > 0:12:26and a few provisions from my mum.
0:12:29 > 0:12:33When he was just 16, Luc Rosso, who is also from West Africa,
0:12:33 > 0:12:36found himself alone and homeless on the streets of Paris.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40He was a talented young footballer who'd been spotted by a scout at his local club.
0:12:45 > 0:12:51When I was a school, there was a sports teacher who used to write to my mother all the time,
0:12:51 > 0:12:58saying, "I can see your son as a footballer. He has all the right qualities and should be encouraged."
0:13:01 > 0:13:05Luc's dreams of becoming a professional footballer seemed to come true
0:13:05 > 0:13:09when one day a Nigerian agent approached him and said he could get him into a club in Europe.
0:13:14 > 0:13:21I was very happy, you know, in my own mind when they said I was going to play at a good level
0:13:21 > 0:13:26and live the dream I'd had for so long, that I would train in an academy,
0:13:26 > 0:13:31and play at the very top, play on TV. That was just my dream.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34I had to play, that's it.
0:13:38 > 0:13:40But the dream began to turn sour.
0:13:40 > 0:13:44The agent was soon looking for money from Luc's family.
0:13:46 > 0:13:53He came and told my mother that he didn't have enough money to pay for the administrative costs,
0:13:53 > 0:13:57and that it was up to the family to pay for it.
0:13:57 > 0:13:59So my mother gave him the money.
0:14:01 > 0:14:07The agent took Luc to Paris, telling him he'd earned a trial with a major Portuguese club
0:14:07 > 0:14:10and they'd be travelling there by train.
0:14:12 > 0:14:19He took us to the Gare du Nord and told us we'd get the train to Lisbon. He told me to wait there.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23He was going to get a couple of other boys.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26That was the last I saw of him.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29I didn't know what to do.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36Luc was left homeless and penniless.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39His story isn't unique.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48Since 2005, a support group set up by a former Cameroonian player
0:14:48 > 0:14:54has helped more than 1,800 African youngsters like Luc in the Paris region alone.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59Some families pay about 5,000 euros,
0:14:59 > 0:15:016,000 euros,
0:15:01 > 0:15:03and when the children come to Europe
0:15:03 > 0:15:05they are abandoned at the end of the visa.
0:15:05 > 0:15:09You know, when the visa expires they are in an illegal situation,
0:15:09 > 0:15:15so they are going to the black market, sometimes they play in amateur leagues,
0:15:15 > 0:15:18but generally they are abandoned on the streets.
0:15:18 > 0:15:25And these children they are very far from the family. It is not a good situation for children,
0:15:25 > 0:15:32because children need education, they need advice...in their life,
0:15:32 > 0:15:37but when they stay on the street, it is a very, very bad situation.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44It is a business, it is a real business.
0:15:44 > 0:15:46And the product
0:15:46 > 0:15:53goes from A to B and in between there are a lot of things that we cannot control.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57Luc eventually ended up in a children's home
0:15:57 > 0:16:01when the authorities said he would never play football in France.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08I was told that I should change.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11They said that I should change my dream.
0:16:11 > 0:16:17Frankly, that was like killing me, like stabbing my heart with a knife...
0:16:17 > 0:16:22because, in my head, they were telling me I couldn't play football.
0:16:22 > 0:16:26They told me I should learn a trade instead.
0:16:30 > 0:16:35Luckily for him, Diamil Faye has now offered him a place on the team he runs back in Africa,
0:16:35 > 0:16:40so, aged 18, he's getting ready to start his new life in another country.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46It's a new beginning for me.
0:16:46 > 0:16:55After all I've been through and suffered, now I feel as though this is a new life I'm going to start.
0:16:55 > 0:16:57And I'm proud of that.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07There are over 30 African players currently playing in the Premier League,
0:17:07 > 0:17:09and about 14 of them are from Ghana.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13We have big names like Michael Essien, Didier Drogba, Saloman Kalou,
0:17:13 > 0:17:16which are pretty big names in the Premier League.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20But it's sad to think that for the very few who make it,
0:17:20 > 0:17:23so many other youngsters are exploited and abandoned to their own destiny.
0:17:31 > 0:17:35Back here in Ghana, there's no escape from football
0:17:35 > 0:17:39which is great news for me, being a coach and a keen player.
0:17:40 > 0:17:44As you can tell, it's busy... even on a Sunday.
0:17:44 > 0:17:49My new friend and translator Sulley takes me around the local shops in search of a football.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51- You know a good football? - I know a good football!
0:17:53 > 0:17:56- Should we get this one? - Yeah, I think we should.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00If you can lay your hands on a football, the game's on.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07Kids here love football and dream of becoming successful players.
0:18:07 > 0:18:13It's easy to see how they can fall into the hands of scouts and agents
0:18:13 > 0:18:15who exploit them and give them false hopes.
0:18:18 > 0:18:20All right.
0:18:33 > 0:18:39Life's tough here in Ghana, even though by African standards it's a relatively wealthy country,
0:18:39 > 0:18:41with many families living on 70p or less a day.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49A world away from the unofficial academies that have sprung up all over Ghana,
0:18:49 > 0:18:54I'm on my way to one of the country's top football academies
0:18:54 > 0:18:57to see how they aim to protect boys from exploitation and failure.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03Here, at the Right To Dream Academy,
0:19:03 > 0:19:06about an hour from Ghana's capital Accra,
0:19:06 > 0:19:1050 boys out of thousands of hopefuls each year are able to attend full time
0:19:10 > 0:19:12and at no cost to their families.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15How are you doing, Colin? Nice to meet you, mate.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18How are you doing, Eric? You all right?
0:19:18 > 0:19:22As I arrive, I'm met by 12-year-old Colin and 14-year-old Eric.
0:19:22 > 0:19:26How is it living here? Do you consider yourselves lucky to be part of this or...?
0:19:26 > 0:19:31Yeah, we feel very lucky because there's a lot of people in Ghana our age who wants to be here,
0:19:31 > 0:19:35but it's us who have been chosen to be here so it's very important to be here.
0:19:35 > 0:19:37Where are we going now?
0:19:37 > 0:19:39'The academy isn't just looking for footballers,
0:19:39 > 0:19:44'but also for tomorrow's leaders, and Eric has recently become the academic captain.'
0:19:44 > 0:19:47So how important is it for you to be the captain of the academy?
0:19:47 > 0:19:52I would say it's one of the most important things I've ever achieved in my life...
0:19:52 > 0:19:56because I've been dreaming of becoming a captain.
0:19:56 > 0:20:01I've been looking at some of the role models like Obama and other stuff...
0:20:01 > 0:20:05they are always outstanding people that they can be a leader.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10Eric and Colin are promising young footballers,
0:20:10 > 0:20:15and the academy has had many success stories in placing talented boys with major football clubs.
0:20:15 > 0:20:20Despite this, here, they are encouraged to keep an open mind on their career ambitions.
0:20:20 > 0:20:25Where would you like to go from here? Would you like to be a professional footballer in Ghana?
0:20:25 > 0:20:27What is your dream?
0:20:27 > 0:20:32- My dream is to play in the Premier League.- The Premier League. What team do you want to play for?
0:20:32 > 0:20:35- Hopefully, Manchester City. - Hopefully City?- Yeah.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41- I would play for Arsenal. - What about you? What's your dream?
0:20:41 > 0:20:44- My dream is to further my education in the United States.- Really? - Yeah, for now.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47Wow! Any subject that you want to do?
0:20:47 > 0:20:55- I want to get involved in science because I aim to become a surgeon. - Really?- Yeah.- Wow!
0:20:55 > 0:20:57Movement again, good movement.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00During training I caught up with one of their coaches,
0:21:00 > 0:21:04former successful international player and Ghana captain CK Akunnor.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10Let's go, last attack.
0:21:10 > 0:21:15One of the things that attracted me was that it wasn't just about football.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17- They were giving the kids education as well.- Yeah.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20And so I said, "I would love to be part of this."
0:21:20 > 0:21:24This is, like, several times. Last week was the same. Come on, get it right!
0:21:24 > 0:21:28When you was a youth, when you was growing up to become a footballer in the national team,
0:21:28 > 0:21:31how was your training compared to the training now?
0:21:31 > 0:21:36- Was there much difference? - Yeah, big difference. There wasn't any pitches like that.- Mmm.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39I started with barefoot in my area,
0:21:39 > 0:21:45and then when I go into professional football, it wasn't what I would call professional,
0:21:45 > 0:21:50I went into youth under-20s and that was when I started wearing football boots.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53Ivan, get the ball away! Get the ball away!
0:21:54 > 0:21:55Hi!
0:21:55 > 0:21:56'These boys are fortunate,'
0:21:56 > 0:22:01very fortunate, and I believe that it will it will yield into good results at the end of the day.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03What are you doing?
0:22:03 > 0:22:06What are you doing? This ball was meant for you!
0:22:06 > 0:22:09Eric, get back.
0:22:13 > 0:22:18British coach Gareth Henderby who's been here since the place opened 12 years ago
0:22:18 > 0:22:24explained that here, unlike other unlicensed academies, football isn't the be-all and end-all.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28Every player has a chance here to make it.
0:22:28 > 0:22:33Some will progress on, some will not. It's normal in life.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36Some will go to a higher level than others,
0:22:36 > 0:22:42some will go into Europe, some may stay and play in the Ghana Premier League...
0:22:42 > 0:22:46and then some may go on to education, so every player's got the opportunity
0:22:46 > 0:22:52to go far if they apply themselves in the right manner and they work as hard as they possibly can.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56Most boys come from underprivileged homes.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01Teacher Harry Adekpui is in charge of their welfare.
0:23:03 > 0:23:10Well, the whole idea is to try to identify the highest potentiality of each of those boys,
0:23:10 > 0:23:14so in doing that you need to ensure that you have the suitable environment for them to grow up.
0:23:14 > 0:23:21- What exactly do you mean by that? - Some of them come from places where they don't really have fathers,
0:23:21 > 0:23:25and even if they have fathers, they don't really care for them,
0:23:25 > 0:23:27so they don't really eat well,
0:23:27 > 0:23:31they don't come from an environment where they get proper guidance and so forth,
0:23:31 > 0:23:36and so they don't really have a definition of the word "care",
0:23:36 > 0:23:40and so some of them, when you ask them, it's time to go home...
0:23:41 > 0:23:43..go back to the families, they don't want to go.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46- I see these places.- That's terrible. - Yeah.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52I think it's brilliant. It's inspiring.
0:23:52 > 0:23:56They've gone through a lot of hard work to build this,
0:23:56 > 0:23:59and I wish loads of different countries
0:23:59 > 0:24:02had this opportunity for other kids as well.
0:24:02 > 0:24:06I just hope they know how lucky they are, to be honest, to have this opportunity.
0:24:08 > 0:24:13THEY SING A HYMN IN THEIR OWN LANGUAGE
0:24:18 > 0:24:22The next morning I had the chance to join the boys on a typical school day.
0:24:22 > 0:24:26It's 6am and it's their first session - morning devotion.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29INAUDIBLE
0:24:29 > 0:24:35We are from different parts of Ghana and people belong to different tribes and they speak different languages,
0:24:35 > 0:24:38but here they are trying to link us together so that we all speak English,
0:24:38 > 0:24:43and others are Muslim, others are Christian, so they want us to achieve the same thing.
0:24:45 > 0:24:50At 6.30 after morning devotion, they are all off to the first training session of the day.
0:25:02 > 0:25:07As a regular player and a qualified coach, I'm well used to intensive training.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16Or so I thought!
0:25:16 > 0:25:19My fitness level is rubbish!
0:25:19 > 0:25:21I thought I was quite fit, actually...
0:25:22 > 0:25:25Maybe it's the boots. Have you...?
0:25:25 > 0:25:28No, come on...
0:25:28 > 0:25:30Blame it on the boots!
0:25:34 > 0:25:39Actually, it's really, really hard because I'm nowhere near their standards, their level...
0:25:39 > 0:25:43they're really, really good footballers. As you can see, I'm sweating like an animal!
0:25:43 > 0:25:47But I really, really enjoyed it and I don't want to sit out. I want to just get stuck in,
0:25:47 > 0:25:49see how far I can go.
0:25:49 > 0:25:53I asked Gareth how the boys coped with such intensive training.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57Everything's about balance in training.
0:25:57 > 0:26:02We have times when it's intense, we have times when we're doing technical training,
0:26:02 > 0:26:04sometimes it's more game-understanding tactical training,
0:26:04 > 0:26:08some days it's just small-sided games which is the fun element in it,
0:26:08 > 0:26:11and then we have our matches as well each week for the players.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14We've got to realise that they're still kids...
0:26:14 > 0:26:18and we want them to grow up here but also make mistakes, have fun,
0:26:18 > 0:26:21have a normal life like any other kid would.
0:26:21 > 0:26:27They're in such a tough and tight schedule within our football programme and our school programme
0:26:27 > 0:26:31that, if you're not careful, it's easy to forget that they are kids sometimes.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36As for myself, I find the day's schedule quite gruelling.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39After the 6.00 start, we've had the morning training,
0:26:39 > 0:26:42then lessons from midmorning till mid-afternoon,
0:26:42 > 0:26:46then it was back on the pitch for another hour and half of intensive training.
0:26:46 > 0:26:52Eric and Colin seem to take this intensive routine in their stride... much better than me!
0:26:52 > 0:26:54Only on this side.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57- So, boys, it's been a really hectic day today, hasn't it?- Yeah.
0:26:57 > 0:27:02- Is it usually like this every day? Is this your daily routine? - Yeah, the same every day.
0:27:02 > 0:27:06- So...are you tired?- Yeah. - Two training sessions in a day. It's not easy, is it?
0:27:06 > 0:27:09- Yeah, but we're used to it. - You're used to it now?- Yeah.
0:27:09 > 0:27:11- What about you? - Yeah, used to it, the same.
0:27:11 > 0:27:15Yeah, I've got to say you're really fit. Really fit lads.
0:27:15 > 0:27:20HUBBUB
0:27:20 > 0:27:23There's still time for a little more football before bed.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26Ghana are playing and the excitement is mounting.
0:27:26 > 0:27:30I love it here. It's just the adrenaline is pumping, everyone is getting in the mood.
0:27:30 > 0:27:34I've got my Ghana scarf on. It's really, really nice. I feel like I live in Ghana.
0:27:34 > 0:27:36I feel like Ghana's my country.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39CHEERING
0:27:39 > 0:27:44The long day has a happy ending. Ghana have won the match.
0:27:46 > 0:27:51As I cheer with the boys, I feel sad my time in Ghana is coming to an end.
0:27:51 > 0:27:55It's been an extraordinary journey into the world of African football.
0:28:03 > 0:28:08I've learned so much about the pressures that lead to thousands of African youngsters being exploited.
0:28:09 > 0:28:14So many people's interests come before young people's dreams.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17The overwhelming majority of kids training at unofficial academies
0:28:17 > 0:28:20will never make it as international footballers,
0:28:20 > 0:28:23yet they are encouraged to believe they will.
0:28:23 > 0:28:27Prospects for the few kids that make it to the elite academies are brilliant,
0:28:27 > 0:28:30and not just in football, but they're only a tiny minority.
0:28:31 > 0:28:34Overall, my hope is that one day soon,
0:28:34 > 0:28:40kids in Africa will have better chances of a successful career without having to leave for Europe.
0:28:40 > 0:28:48I think it would be wonderful if the young footballers could lead the way to a fairer and wealthier continent.
0:28:54 > 0:28:58Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd