Ghanaian Footballers Protect Turtle Breeding Sites

The coast of Ghana is home to five of the world's endangered sea turtles, which are threatened by fishing nets and poachers who sell their meat and eggs. To help revive the turtle populations, a group of young footballers have taken it upon themselves to guard turtle nests and rescue turtles captured by fishermen.

Since 2019, the Fetteh Youngsters Football Club took it upon themselves to protect the turtles. The team's coach, Daniel Kwesi Botchwey, says they leverage the community's support for the team to help save the endangered sea turtles.

"There has been the need for us to educate the community about it. And since the football team is for the community, because I always say, 'Fetteh Youngsters is a community-based team, it is for the community.' And the chief of the town, he is the live patron of the club, so everyone in the community supports Fetteh Youngsters. So, we have taken it as a means, as a tool, to educate the community," said coach Botchwey.