Tema Stadium Ready For Use

RENOVATION works on the fence wall of the Tema Stadium is now complete, about three-and-a- half-years after the closure of the place.

The entire structure of the fencewall has now been newly constructed with solid blocks.

The new structure replaces the crumbling fence which necessitated the closure of the stadium in 2001 and 2003.

The final stretch of wall covering about 200 metres behind the dressing rooms and administrative facilities at the stadium had been erected when the Graphic Sports visited the venue over the weekend.

As of last Saturday, construction workers at the site were fixing the remaining four of the gates of the ticket booths at the stadium.

A source close to the workers disclosed that the remaining gates would be fixed by the close of today. That aside, he said, the remaining debris from the old walls would be collected by the end of the week.

There were, however, no signs of the resumption of work on other parts of the rehabilitation project, particularly in the sitting stands at the stadium.

Former Education, Youth and Sports Minister, Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, said at one point that the stadium would be converted into an all-seater capacity facility in the course of the reconstruction project.

In spite of this, the stadium appears ready to host games when the Premier League begins next month. Real Sportive and Power FC will use the stadium in turns for their home games.

The Professional League Board of the Ghana Football Association has already written to the two teams to revert to their original home grounds when the new season gets underway.

The stadium was first closed down in August 2001 after certain parts of the fencewall were discovered to be too fragile and , therefore, unsafe to host big events.

After some renovation, it was reopened for the 2003 Season, but was closed down again after the season opening game between Okwawu United and Stay Cool Professional, then playing in the Premier League.