NOVEMBER 2010
More than 20,000 people attended 'A Day With Michael Essien' in the midfielder's hometown of Awutu Breku yesterday.
Essien arrived to a fantastic reception in his Ghanaian home, there was dancing and cheering as he prepared to host a day of sports.
Before the activities started there were speeches, including one from Chelsea's head of communications and community affairs Emma Wilkinson, then Essien kicked-started the first of four tournaments, an 11-a-side football competition, surrounded by thousands of fans.
Essien watched from the front row, where he was joined by chairman of the Michael Essen Foundation Michael Gizo and other VIPs while a constant stream of locals came up to meet the midfielder.
'It is so good to be home and be able to give something back to my community,' said Essien.
'It is great to be here, where I used to play football, and the amount of people here is really special, it makes me really proud,' added Chelsea's number 5.
Eight district teams took part in the four different sports - football, volleyball for girls and boys and netball.
The first football match included Essien's region Awutu, the local team, coached by none other than Stanley Quaye, the same man who developed Essien's skills when he was 12.
Once the final whistle in that game had blown, Essien headed over to the volleyball courts where he started the tournament in that sport. He also helped start the final competition taking place, which saw the netball teams fight it out to be named the best side at the event.
Once the competitions were under way and 'A Day With Michael Essien' was in full swing, the Ghanaian star headed away from the Awutu Breku School Field venue to open a water bore hole in the centre of the town, funded by his foundation.
It was there that a surprise guest arrived as fellow Ghanaian footballer Sulley Muntari turned up. The Inter Milan player said: 'I came along to offer my support to Michael because what he is doing with his foundation is brilliant.
'He is a great blessing and a great brother; I have known him for seven years now and the relationship is very strong. I just love him, that's the thing.
'He gets a great reception in Ghana, it is always important to feel welcomed by your own people, and he is doing some great stuff. He is giving back to the community and he has a very good heart, I am very pleased to know him and very happy to be here,' he added.
Muntari then joined Essien on a trip back to the Awutu Breku School Field where they opened the new public toilets, also funded by the Michael Essien Foundation.
Once all the official business was done, the Ghanaian internationals took to their seats to watch the football tournament. It was taking place on the pitch Essien had played as a child under the watchful eye of Quaye.
'Michael used to play on this pitch when he was 12 years old,' said Quaye. 'I knew when I first saw him that he was a different sort of player, I knew he could become whatever he wanted to become.
'You could see he was a very good player and it's really good that he comes back to his hometown for days like this; it shows he remembers us all.
'I have a team in the football tournament and I am going to win,' added the coach.
Quaye may have expected his side to reach the final but Right To Play were on hand to entertain the children who were knocked out of their respective tournaments. Chelsea's international charity partner held a coaching session, which involved Essien.
Essien took part in a game which saw the participants throwing bean bags at one another before passing them back to their friends; it was a lot like the 'hot potato' game back in England. The idea behind it was to inspire children to throw away their fears.
The game led to one of the day's main events, the launch of the Reading Goals initiative, which is a collaboration with Essien and Right To Play.
Reading Goals is a series of books created with help from the publishing company Pearson Education and the Ghanaian Ministry of Education to inspire children in the country to read. They are based on Essien's own experiences and he handed copies to youngsters in front of a mass of people before the football final took place.
A tense game which included Quaye's Awutu side then ensued and the coach's prediction came true when a last-minute penalty secured his side a 1-0 win to the joy of the on-looking crowd.
When the final whistle was blown, a pitch invasion took place, with the locals lifting the winning side onto their shoulders before the award ceremony began. It started with the presentation of a £25,000 cheque for the Michael Essien Foundation donated by the Ghanaian mobile communications network MTN.
'It has been a fantastic,' said Gizo. 'We have been very pleased with the way the day has gone, about 15 schools have turned up for the event and the excitement in the town has been huge.
'It has allowed children from the area to compete in the competitions and they have all done the Michael Essien Foundation proud.
'I want to say a big thank you to Chelsea for all their help and for coming out here to support this event, it has made a dramatic difference because all the children are here for the club as well, without the club it would not have been such a big success,' added Gizo.
Both winners and runners-up in each competition were handed medals and Chelsea gifts at the awards ceremony, while local sponsors and Wilkinson were also handed medals as a sign of appreciation from the Michael Essien Foundation.
Essien himself handed the winners' medals and trophy to the triumphant Awutu football team, bringing a phenomenal afternoon in Ghana to an end
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