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Excelsior – First Football Club In Ghana

By ghanaianmuseum.com
Football News Excelsior – First Football Club In Ghana
APR 21, 2020 LISTEN

History has it that Cape Coast is the birthplace of football in Ghana and the credit goes to students of the local Government Boys School.

Inspired by a Jamaican Headmaster, Mr Briton, the students were already sporting conscious of playing cricket and tennis. The enthusiasm with which the students followed sports was fantastic.

In 1903, backed by the sports enthusiast headmaster, a group of 22 keen pupils of the Cape Coast Government Boys School embarked upon a secret training course in footballing.

The young lads trained mostly in the night when the full moon was on at the Victoria Park, then a well- kept place for official ceremonies.

After three months of night practices held under the moonlight, the boys, who named their new club “Excelsior,” decided to go public.

On 26 December, the 22 split into two teams for an exhibition played on a pitch marked out in Victoria Park, complete with goals.

Although the match was played without any set rules the excited crowd cheered throughout and thoroughly enjoyed themselves as they watched 22 youngsters running around and kicking a globular object.

Gold Coast governor Sir Fredric Hodgson attended the match.

With the warm reception received the young boys of Excelsior intensified their training and soon their popularity spread beyond Cape Coast.

The exhibition fomented football’s popularity and more clubs followed, including Accra Hearts of Oak, Cape Coast Venomous Vipers, Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs, Sekondi Hasaacas and Sekondi Eleven Wise.

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