Key takeaways from the 2024 Women’s Premier Super Cup

The 2024 edition of the Women’s Premier Super Cup came to an end over the weekend after little over one week of football action at the Ghanaman Soccer Centre of Excellence.

Dreamz Ladies FC claimed the fourth edition of the competition becoming the first team from the Northern Zone to reach that feat.

The tournament, which served as a preparatory test for clubs ahead of the new Women’s Premier League, brought up many positives while also highlighting some issues that need to be addressed.

Here are five key takeaways from the competition:

• Mary Amponsah is not done after all

For the majority of the 2023/24 season, Mary Amponsah struggled with injuries and inconsistent performances. She finished outside the top five for most goals scored in the Malta Guinness Women’s Premier League at the end of the campaign and was a shadow of herself at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.

However, Mary gave her critics a lot to think about with her performance at the Super Cup. With 10 goals in five games, she ended up as the top scorer of the cup competition. She scored in every game except for the final, reminding defenders of what she is capable of doing on her good day.

In an exclusive interview with Joy Sports ahead of the final, she talked about carrying her performance into the new season.

• Dreamz Ladies are a team to watch in the Northern Zone

Dreamz Ladies were deserving champions of the competition. What makes their journey interesting is the fact they had to revenge the group stage defeat to Ampem Darkoa Ladies. They did and in style as they limited the Women’s Premier League finalists to few chances.

Dreamz may have only won a preparatory trophy ahead of the new season but there is more in store that clubs in the Northern Zone would need to worry about.

Not only has their attack looked sharper, but they have also solidified their defensive department which has been leaky for a while. While Northern Ladies have been the closest to challenging Ampem Darkoa, Dreamz may be a worthy opponent in the upcoming season.

• Hasaacas Ladies need to sort out coaching problem

For the first time since the start of the Women’s Premier League, Hasaacas Ladies will be going into the season without Yussif Basigi as head coach. Basigi left his role as head coach of the club as he signed up for a new adventure in Tanzania, joining Simba Queens.

Former player Mabel Baffoe Eshun headed the team during the campaign in the Women’s Premier Super Cup, guiding them to a third-place finish. While it may not be a position the club would have wanted, Mabel will be content with where they got to considering it’s her first time on the job.

• Sarah Nyarko could be the new kid on the block

Stella Nyamekye is undoubtedly the star of the local scene at the moment but just like she burst onto the scene some years ago, there could be a new kid on the block. Sarah Nyarko is that kid; she is ‘her’ and many will only become disciples from here.

Sarah scored just two goals in five games at the competitions but her overall performance was the real deal throughout. She ended up as the Discovery Player at the end of the tournament.