The National Sports Authority (NSA) has announced apart from the primary mandate of hosting sporting events, national stadia will not be given out for social events until pitch covers are secured for them.
Board Chairman Seth Panwum Boyoyo of the NSA spoke when the leadership of the authority engaged with the Parliamentary Sub-Committee On Youth, Sports & Culture, Wednesday, September 25, 2024.
“We’ve directed that none of our sporting stadiums should be used for anything other than sporting activities until such time that we can have pitch covers,” he said.
Mr Panwum Boyoyo informed parliament the NSA had made GHS900,000 from offering the Kumasi (Baba Yara) Sports Stadium to event organisers for social events.
However, he bemoaned the state the facility was left in after a five-day Kumuyi Church programme which preceded Ghana’s 2025 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) Qualifiers match against Angola.
Coaches Otto Addo and Pedro Goncalves of Ghana and Angola, respectively, bitterly complained about the quality of the playing pitch in Kumasi, after a game that ended 1:0 against Ghana. The score line broke Ghana’s 24-year-old record of not losing on home soil in Kumasi.
Panwum Boyoyo revealed the officer who cleared the facility for use before the AFCON qualifier and “failed to recover the pitch ahead of the game is undergoing disciplinary measures at the authority”.
He pointed out, also, the NSA had asked for financial assistance for logistics for national stadia, such as pitch covers, in line with international best practices, from the Dr Mohammed Anim Adam-led Ministry of Finance.
He intimated with the pitch covers, the NSA could return to renting out facilities under its purview for social gatherings apart from sports activities, in pursuit of fulfilling their revenue mandate.
Mr Panwum Boyoyo said: “It’s common practice in other countries, such as Wembley [UK], to hold concerts while ensuring the pitch is protected with pitch covers. I’ve discussed with our minister of finance, through our sector minister, the urgency of securing assistance because we’re also tasked with generating revenue, and the income from gate receipts is not sufficient to meet our obligations.”
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