SHAME!! The deplorable state of Kaladan Park

Ghanaians love football. It is next to religion. Football is probably the only single event, which unites the entire nation. When the country's football teams win matches, Ghanaians of all shades, come together and celebrate in processions and carnivals.

However, with a population of over 20 million people, the playing fields in Ghana are, to say the least, grossly in a bad state, going by the popularity of the game.

Colts and basic school football are the first stratum of competitive football in Ghana but unfortunately, their matches are played on grassless pitches, which are most often far smaller than the required dimensions for football. 

And most of the players who qualify to play at the colts and basic school levels might have, at one time or the other, engaged in "gutter to gutter," the name given to street football in Ghana.

In Accra, the one sprawling Kaneshie Sports Complex, which was recently renamed Azumah Nelson Sports Complex, is in a very poor condition.

Up North, the situation is worse. The Kaladan Park, formerly grounds of Division One League side Real Tamale United (RTU), has been abandoned following the construction of the ultra-modern Sports Stadium during the Ghana 2008 Africa Cup of Nations.

The 'Pride of the North' relocated to the Tamale Stadium, leaving the Kaladan Park at the mercy of the weather and nature. The famous Park in Tamale, built by Gen. Akwasi Amankwah Afrifa, a former Head-of-State of the Republic of Ghana, are all a rather sorry sight to behold.

Construction of a grandstand, offices, commentary box, VIP Lounge and the popular stand are still at a standstill due to non-availability of funds.

The football field, as you can see in the picture above become waterlogged as soon as it rains making it unusable by young football talents who want to replicate the success of our soccer greats. The tracks for athletics have been dominated by bushes in which rats and grasscutters will not be too difficult to find. The facility is now a grazing field for sheep, goats and cattles. The wired mesh which initially shielded the football field are broken and thieves are managing to do away with the mesh.

The only basketball court has also been overtaken by the growing bush and some parts have been overtaken by sand from some eroded parts of the field.

Outside the Kaladan Park, traders have also succeeded in taking over the car park outside and its immediate environs and the Aboabo lorry station. The activities of these traders leave much to be desired as they contribute in large part to the unsanitary conditions in the metropolis.

The dearth of football infrastructure in Ghana is a worrying issue for those who are concerned with the development of the game.

Though the immediate post independence era resulted in the construction of sports stadiums and parks in every regional capital and some district headquarters, lack of maintenance has left most of them in dilapidated.

Allsports is, therefore, appealing to authorities in charge, especially the National Sports Authority, to turn attention to the facility to ensure that it is brought back to the limelight.