PROFILE OF NATIONAL TEAM COACHES: Mercy Tagoe-Quarcoo

Next in the series of the profiling of National Team Coaches is Mercy Tagoe-Quarcoo, boss of the senior Women’s side, Black Queens.

Full Name: Mercy Tagoe – Quarcoo

Place of Birth: Tema

Marital Status: Married

Age: 42

Mercy Tagoe-Quarcoo was born on 5th February 1978 in Tema. She nursed the interest in playing football at a young age and started acting upon it by playing football with kids in her community. She started an active career as a midfielder and was later converted into a central defender during her days with Tema Supreme Ladies. The team later merged with Tema Newtown Ladies and renamed as Bluna Ladies.

As one of the pioneers in women’s football in Ghana, Mrs. Tagoe-Quarcoo and her class of players made history in 1999 when they qualified Ghana to the FIFA Women’s World Cup in USA under the tutelage of the late coach E.K Afranie. She again featured in the 2003 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

While playing, she diverted into becoming a referee and received her FIFA badge in 2005. She officiated at the highest level and took part in several continental and International tournaments before quitting refereeing in 2012. Tagoe-Quarcoo raised the bar for Africa referees on the continent when she officiated at the 2010 FIFA Women’s World Cup staged in Germany.

In the field of education, she enrolled at the University of Education, Winneba and graduated with a Diploma in Coaching and a degree in Guidance & Counseling. She also holds CAF Licence C, B and A in coaching, participated in a high-level coaching course in Cameroon in (2015) and CAF Instructor of Instructors course in Egypt (2019).

She is a proud CAF Instructor and a senior Fire officer with the rank of Divisional Officer Grade 3 with the Ghana National Fire Service. She is married to Mr. Daniel Quarcoo, a Senior Executive of the Bank of Ghana and blessed with two children.

Tagoe-Quarcoo began her coaching career with Prisco Munis FC, a colts club in Tema and moved to Gye Nyame FC, a local Division 2 side in the Tema Metropolis, before joining Amidaus Professionals, then in the Ghana Premier League in 2016. Mrs. Tagoe- Quarcoo moved to Halifax Ladies in the Women’s Premier League, which she led to a quarterfinal berth in the Normalization Special Competition in 2019.

Coach Mercy Tagoe-Quarcoo became assistant to Mas-Ud Didi Dramani before being elevated to the Head Coach position following the exit of the former in 2018. She led Ghana twice to WAFU Zone B glories (Gold in 2018 and Bronze medal in 2019). She recently led the team to another feat in Turkey where Ghana finished second in the 2020 Turkish Women’s Cup invitational tournament.

Honours:

FIFA Women’s World Cup 2009, 2003 (Player)

FIFA Women’s World Cup 2013 (Referee)

WAFU Zone B – Bronze medal, 2019 (Coach)

WAFU Zone B – Gold medal, 2018 (Coach)

Turkish Women’s Cup Tournament, Silver medal, 2020 (Coach)

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