Eintracht Frankfurt Enters Strategic Talent Development Partnership with Ghana’s Accra Lions FC.

Roger Hampel

Oliver König (Accra Lions FC President) and Markus Krösche (Eintracht Frankfurt’s Sporting Director). Photo Credit: Eintracht Frankfurt

Eintracht Frankfurt has announced a new international partnership with Accra Lions FC, a rising club in the Ghana Premier League, in a move that expands the Bundesliga club’s global scouting and youth development strategy. The agreement, which will take effect in June 2025, focuses on long-term collaboration in talent development, infrastructure support, and cross-cultural exchange.

The partnership provides Eintracht Frankfurt with direct access to one of West Africa’s most dynamic football ecosystems, aligning with the club’s broader internationalization goals and interest in expanding its footprint in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Supporting Talent Development in West Africa

Founded in 2015, Accra Lions FC has earned recognition for its commitment to youth development and modern training infrastructure. The club achieved second place in the 2023/24 Ghana Premier League with one of the youngest squads in professional football, averaging under 20 years of age.

The partnership allows Eintracht Frankfurt to:

• Scout and monitor emerging West African talent

  
  

• Contribute to technical and methodological development through coaching support

  
  

• Facilitate knowledge exchange and club-to-club collaboration

  
  

• Explore player pathway opportunities into the European market

  
  

According to Markus Krösche, Eintracht Frankfurt’s Sporting Director:

“This initiative will help us discover talent from Africa and share our sporting and organizational expertise with a dynamic club like Accra Lions.”

Strategic Value for Both Clubs Eintracht Frankfurt Accra Lions FC

For Eintracht Frankfurt, the partnership complements a growing trend among European clubs to establish structured collaborations in high-potential football markets. Africa continues to be a key focus area for global talent pipelines, with Ghana in particular producing top-tier professional footballers in recent decades.

From a development perspective, the partnership allows Accra Lions players and coaching staff to benefit from exposure to Bundesliga-level practices, while the club gains institutional support in areas like training, performance analytics, and international visibility.

Accra Lions FC President Oliver König commented:

“This is a significant step for our club. Working with Eintracht Frankfurt brings great value not only in football terms, but also as a form of cultural exchange between two football-passionate regions.”

Expanding International Club Strategy

This agreement fits into Eintracht Frankfurt’s broader global strategy, which has included international partnerships, overseas tours, and youth academy collaboration in various regions. The Bundesliga club views the African football market not only as a talent source but as a strategic region for long-term engagement, including social development and community outreach. While the immediate focus of the partnership is football development, both clubs see potential for wider collaboration, including in areas such as education, cultural exchange, and football-based social impact.