BRING WA SPORTS STADIUM TO STANDARD

        BRING WA SPORTS STADIUM TO STANDARD

I traveled to the Upper West region of Ghana and I managed to visit the regional sports Stadium in Wa.

I was filled with grief after I had combed the entire area in an attempt to locate the stadium only to be directed to an extreme end of a cracked wall with no sign post indicating the venue as a sports stadium. I was rather greeted with what seemed like a cemented surface darkened with dry cell as a chalkboard where names of teams to play for the day are written for people to take notice.

Perhaps I would have complained about the signpost and depart quietly but on seeing the pitch, tears almost dripped down my eyes. Just like those days when we used to play football at the outskirt of the town, the Wa sports stadium is driven to a mere compound fortunate to have some green grasses grown on it with a cracked wall to protect the kicked balls from falling into the soup of the inhabitants.

I asked myself, is this one of the stadium where premier leagues are played in Ghana? The stadium has been completely ignored. There were no stands for spectators as the only stand for the Very Important Personality (VIP) provided by the Ghana @ 50 had no chairs. Unless plastic chairs are hired for our VIP spectator they sit on the bare stairs. The stadium had no mowers, sprinklers which is very necessary to maintain the grass during the dry weather. There were no watering hose and other playing court for instance, table tennis court, basket ball court, boxing among others.Yet it wouldn't be an oversight to compare the stadium of the Accra sports stadium in terms of land availability and
space.

I got close to a source who revealed that the right wing stand when coming from then main entrance has been given on contract but the contractor seized work because of lake of funds. The stands has since become a white elephant as spectators still pay three Ghana cedis ( Gh¢3)  and stand in the open sun to watch their favourite home based team Wa all stars play their hearts out. At worst one has to leave the field to listen to the rest of the commentary on radio in their homes. And I bet such people will not visit the stadium a second time which goes ahead to mean the stadium will lose revenue.

Just as I had wanted to walk away, I saw an old boxing ring alleged to have been used during the 1980s that was brought into the stadium by the administrators for maintenance and to help improve Amateur boxing. Haaba! The sports stadium is not a tourist center and the old ring should be sent to the museum in place of a standard boxing ring.

I believe the people of Wa need to benefit from the district assembly's 5% common fund allocated for sports.

The government of the day, the National Sports Council (NSC) and all stake holders interested in the development of sports should please join hands and provide a befitting sports stadium for Wa.

DANIEL LARTEY

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