Ghana To Host 13th Africa Clubs Championship Tournament

The 13th edition of the annual African Hockey Federation (AHF) Clubs Championship Competition will be staged in the Ghanaian Capital Accra from 23rd to 30th April 2002. The National Hockey Pitch will be the venue for the tournament that will attract teams from Nigeria, Egypt, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Uganda and Seychelles in both men and women’s categories. In the Men’s category, Ghana will be represented by Greater Accra Pepsi League Champions, Exchequers of Bank of Ghana and Mobitel Knockout champions, Trustees of SSNIT, while double champions Reformers of Prisons Service and their runners-up in both the league and the Knock-out competitions, Extinguishers of the Fire Service will represent the country in the ladies’ competition. This is the second time the country is hosting the tournament and indeed the first time on the artificial surface. Compared to the first time (1995) when the competition was hosted on a natural grass pitch, the playing of matches on the artificial surface this time would provide a platform to showcase world-class hockey in Accra. Though Egyptian Club Sharkia, which has won all the competitions except on one occasion in the 13-year history of the competition have dominated the tournament, Ghanaian clubs have performed creditably over the years. Exchequers won the silver and bronze medals in 1991 in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe and in 1998 in Windhoek, Namibia respectively. Trustees won the bronze medal in 1992 in Nairobi, Kenya while Golden Sticks also won bronze in 1990 in Cassablanca, Morroco. Having been exposed to the artificial turf for a long period and with the advantage of home support however, the Ghanaian Clubs are favourites to dominate and capture Gold for the first time in both the men and women’s competitions. A 13-member committee headed by the Chairman of the Ghana Hockey Association Oko-Nikoi Dzani, has been constituted to plan and organise the tournament. Trustees of SSNIT participated in the 2000 edition of the competition hosted by Smoha Club of Alexandria in Egypt with no Ladies’ representatives from Ghana. GAHA Super Cup Match Slated for January 19 2002 The much-awaited showdown between the two giants of Ghana Hockey, Pepsi League Champions Exchequers of Bank of Ghana and Mobitel knockout champions Trustees of SSNIT to decide the champion of champions for the year 2001 comes off at the National Hockey Pitch at 1600 GMT on Saturday January 19 2002. The game, which was supposed to be the third in as many weeks, was rescheduled at the instance of the Executive of GAHA to quell the tension that characterised the last meeting of the two to decide the Mobitel knockout champion late last year.