ACCRA HOCKEY STADIUM

Accra Hockey Stadium

The game of hockey in Ghana as it is widely called among other sporting disciplines as  ‘lesser known sport’s or the exalted name ‘less financed sports’ yet was one of the most deep-rooted sports in the country could not boast of even one standard stadium until 2009 when it took The Late President Prof. J. E. A. Mills’ government and his intervention for the construction of State- of- the-Art Hockey Stadium to host an international event.

The newly constructed Hockey stadium in Accra named after the woman affectionately nicknamed “Joan of Arc of Ghana Sports” by the late affable Sports Director Ohene Djan- Mrs Theodosia Okoh  is a powerful landmark facility combining dynamic authentically pleasing architecture with a modern water based pitch.

The 1,200-seating capacity stadium was built to host the 11-day Africa Cup Hockey Tournament. The newly constructed Hockey Stadium located between the main vehicular transport terminal in Central Accra popularly known as Tema Station and the headquarters of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), has state of -the- art water based pitch constructed and installed with the synthetic turf product, Edel Triple T EL System by a Belgium based grass experts, Edel Grass.

The installed hockey pitch was tested by an International Hockey Federation accredited laboratory and found to comply with all the performance requirements established by this federation for the conduct of world level hockey competitions, specified international competitions and national hockey competitions.

An approach from the roads bordering the stadium from the Western and Northern ends brings visitors to a security post and two other entrances for spectators. There is provision for 4 ticketing rooms. From the car park one sees the imposing V.I.P. building. The stadium has a three floor V.I.P. structure with hostel facilities for visiting and host teams alike with four (4) players changing rooms with a capacity of 22 each.

With this fascinating state of-the-art edifice in the country, it’s expected that the game progresses for the nation to win more laurels at the international stage. 

Water-base Pitch

The Joan of Arc of Ghana Hockey- Mrs Theodosia Salome Okoh

Mrs. Theodosia S. Okoh

Mrs. Theodosia Okoh, the Octogerian artist, may be famous for designing the national flag of Ghana, but sports lovers will remember her for the pioneering role she played in popularizing the game of hockey in the country.

Mrs. Theodosia Okoh was born to in 1922 to Very Rev. Emmanuel  Victor Asihene and Madam Dora Ahensihene, both from Enyum in the Eastern part of Ghana .  She attended school at Asante Effiduase and later Basel Mission Girls School at Agogo. She later became a teacher and taught briefly at Kukurantumi and later took an examination in Arts which gradually led her into her career.

Married to the then Secretary to the Cabinet Mr. E.K.Okoh , the keen hockey enthusiast was able to convince the husband to use his influence at the government headquarters to keep the site very much against the wishes of town planners who had earmarked the area for the construction of government offices.

At this time, the national cricket oval near the Black Star Square had been destroyed to accommodate the Volta River Authority and Electricity Corporation head offices. The Accra Great Olympics Park adjacent to the Ambassador Hotel had been taken over by high office complex including the Hall of Technology.

Mrs. Okoh had insisted that the only way to generate interest in the relatively unknown hockey was to bring it near the people. The Makola market was just around the corner and curious traders and shoppers were gradually attracted to steal a glance to see the game of hockey being played in that busy area of Accra.

Today, the Accra hockey grounds now has received a facelift that can boast of a water-base pitch, dressing rooms, hostel facilities and spectator stands that hosts international competitions thanks to the early struggle of this noble and fearless woman for the game of hockey in Ghana.

She believes in families a lot and also a firm believer in hard work and exemplary life. Her watch       words are doing things in perfection and  in a manner that would reap benefits in the future.

 

HISTORY BEHIND THE "STICKS"

Historical records showsthat a rough form of the game of “sticks” was played in Egypt dated 4,000 years ago and in Ethiopia around 1,000 BC. Ancient Greece cannot be left out when talking about the ‘game of sticks’ , where the game may have been called kerētízein or kerhtízein  because it was played with a horn or horn-like stick.

 Various museums offer evidence that a form of the game was played by Romans and Greeks, and by the Aztec Indians in South America several centuries before Columbus landed in the New World. So, one will be tempted to ask what at all is the ‘game of sticks’?

Hockey- as it is popularly known in the world of sports is was first used hoquet, a middle French word for a shepherd's stave. Hockey began to form clearer roots throughout England in the sixteen and seventeen hundreds. These were treacherous games that often combined an entire village versus another village and teams could often have up to a hundred players and the players often played through major injuries and endured several days of these games.

The modern game of hockey had evolved gradually from Eton University in England when they actually began to formulate rules around 1860s to govern the sport. Then the first Hockey Association and club in the history of sport were formed in 1875 which clarified more rules. These rules also made provisions for the game to accommodate eleven players aside on a field. Safety equipment such as helmets, pads, mouth pieces and protective eye shield were all introduced into the game.

The appeal for the game to appear on the international stage grew tremendously after more clubs and leagues were created which eventually paved way for the  inclusion of  hockey  in the Olympic Games,  held in London in 1908 with England, Ireland and Scotland competing separately . After having made its first appearance in the 1908 Games, hockey was subsequently dropped from the 1912 Stockholm Games, and reappeared in 1920 in Antwerp, Netherland, before being omitted again in Paris in 1924. The Paris organizers refused to include hockey on the basis that the sport had no International Federation. 

Soon after, hockey had made its first steps towards an International Federation when the Hockey Association in England and the Belgium Hockey Association agreed to mutually recognize each other to regulate international hockey relations. The French Association followed thereafter, but this was not considered sufficient.

 Following hockey's omission from the 1924 Paris Games, Paul Léautey , a Frenchman, took the initiative of advocating for the formation of a world governing body for the sport. Mr. Léautey called together representatives from seven National Federations to form the sport's international governing body. He succeeded in his venture and the same year, International Hockey Federation was (IHF) established in Paris becoming the first President of the International Hockey Federation. The six founding members, which represented both men's and women's hockey in their countries, were Austria, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, France, Hungary, Spain and Switzerland.

The growth of the International Hockey Federation from its beginning has been very progressive with other countries also joining making 127 members. The IHF serves as the 'guardian' of the sport. It works in co-operation with both the national and continental organizations to ensure consistency and unity in hockey around the world. The IHF not only regulates the sport, but is also responsible for its development and promotion so as to guarantee a secure future for hockey.