National Sports Authority, Ashanti Region

🏆 THE DEMOCRACY CUP IS HERE! 🇬🇭⚽

The much-anticipated Democracy Cup kicks off today at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium.

📍 Baba Yara Sports Stadium
⏰ 3:00 PM

Come witness football, unity and democracy in action! 🇬🇭⚽

Don’t miss it!

📢 PRESS RELEASE | DEMOCRACY CUP 2026

Media stations wishing to telecast the 2026 Democracy Cup are hereby informed that the official match feed must be picked through Parliament TV to secure the required broadcasting and feed rights.

Media Accreditation

MEDIA ACCREDITATION – 2026 DEMOCRACY CUP

Media accreditation is now open for media houses and journalists who wish to cover the 2026 Democracy Cup between Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak this Friday at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium.

Interested media personnel are encouraged to submit their accreditation requests through the appropriate channels ahead of the match.

📅 Friday, August 28, 2026
🏟️ Baba Yara Sports Stadium
⚽ Asante Kotoko vs Hearts of Oak

*NSA Boss Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, Board Chairman Dr Fred Awaah Inspect Baba Yara Stadium Ahead of 2026/27 Season*

The Director General of the National Sports Authority (NSA), Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, together with the Board Chairman, Dr Fred Awaah, toured the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi on Wednesday August 12, 2026 as part of efforts to assess the facility’s readiness ahead of the 2026/27 football season.

The working visit, was aimed at inspecting ongoing rehabilitation and maintenance works at the famous Kumasi Stadium and ensuring that the facility is well prepared to host football activities in the upcoming season.

The NSA leadership was accompanied by the Head of Estate, Ebow Adorful, during the inspection. They were received by the NSA Ashanti Regional Director, Nana Gyaama Adarkwah, and her staff, who welcomed the delegation from Accra.

During the tour, the officials inspected the playing pitch and other areas of the stadium to assess the progress of preparations. Mr Yaw Ampofo Ankrah commended the Ashanti Regional Directorate for their efforts and initiatives toward rehabilitation of the pitch to meet approved standards.

“The improvements were central to ensuring that Baba Yara Stadium remains an appropriate environment for competitive football and other major sporting activities,” the NSA Director General said.

The delegation also took a tour of the stadium’s surrounding area where they interacted with hawkers who operate around the facility. The discussions were largely on concerns over the development of new containers by the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA).

The engagement gave NSA leadership an opportunity to hear directly from traders about their concerns and to get a better sense of how the new developments might affect their activities around the stadium.

Baba Yara Sports Stadium is one of the most important football venues in Ghana and has hosted several domestic and international fixtures over the years. Therefore it will be important to ensure the pitch and the surrounding facilities are up to the required standards as clubs and football stakeholders prepare for the 2026/27 season.

The NSA leadership inspection underscores a renewed focus on facility readiness, maintenance and stakeholder engagement as Ghana prepares for another busy football season.

Board Chairman of the National Sports Authority, Dr. Fred Awaah, and Director General Mr. Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, together with the leadership of the Ashanti Regional Directorate led by Nana Gyaama, held a productive meeting with Asante Kotoko Board Chairman, Mr. James Osei Brown on Wednesday August 12, 2026 at the Baba Yara Stadium.

The discussions focused on the readiness of the Stadium ahead of the 2026/27 football season, with emphasis on ensuring the iconic Kumasi venue is ready to welcome the Porcupine Warriors and other football activities.

It was a brief positive engagement which ended successfully as the NSA and Asante Kotoko continue to work together toward a successful and exciting new season

*Ashanti Regional NSA Swears-in Interim Executives of Ashanti Regional Wrestling Association*

The Ashanti Regional Directorate of the National Sports Authority (NSA) on Friday, July 31,2026 sworn into office the Interim Executive Committee of the Ashanti Regional Wrestling Association at the Baba Yara Stadium.

The executives are mandated to manage and develop the sport of wrestling across the region.

The interim executives are:
Chairperson: Kwaku Marfo
Vice Chairman Osei Sarfo
Coach:Addo Twumasi
Secretary: Suraj Harun
Organiser: Adamu Zanab
Asst. Coach: Boateng Awuah
Member: Douglas Ofori

The swearing-in ceremony is a major step to improve the governance of wrestling in the Ashanti Region.

The interim committee will foster the development of athletes and arrange regional competitions and will work closely with the National Sports Authority and the national federation to help boost the growth and popularity of wrestling in the region.

Baba Yara Sports Stadium is set to host the Ghana Education Service (GES) Ashanti High Schools Music Fiesta tomorrow. The event will bring together talented students from senior high schools across the Ashanti Region for a celebration of music, culture, and creativity.

The National Sports Authority (NSA), Ashanti Region, proudly joined the nationwide General Clean-up Exercise initiated by H.E. President John Dramani Mahama, reaffirming our commitment to environmental cleanliness, public health, and community responsibility.

Staff of the Authority actively participated in the exercise, working together to clean our surroundings and contribute to the national effort aimed at creating a cleaner, healthier, and safer environment for all.

*PRESS RELEASE*

*CLARIFICATION ON MAINTENANCE WORKS AT THE BABA YARA SPORTS STADIUM PITCH*

Sporting greetings from the Ashanti Regional Directorate of the National Sports Authority (NSA)

The Authority has become aware of a viral video involving staff of NSA undertaking routine maintenance works on the playing surface of the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in preparation for the 2026/27 football season.

The comments accompanying the said viral video expressed concern over the state of the pitch, questioned the methods of maintenance being used and made allegations of financial impropriety against the Authority.

The National Sports Authority strongly denies the allegations of financial wrongdoing and wishes to make the following clarifications;

The playing surface has become progressively infested with invasive w**ds and undesirable grass species since the pitch was regrassed some six years ago. Although w**d control measures have been undertaken from time to time over the years, the current off-season provides the ideal opportunity to carry out a more comprehensive pitch renovation programme with a view to restoring a healthy, uniform, high quality natural grass surface.

Hence, the following measures for pitch management are being undertaken to improve the playability and overall performance of pitch:

1. Selective W**d Control: Approved selective w**dicides have been used to control these undesirable w**ds, allowing preferred grass to continue growing.

2. Mowing: The pitch has been mowed to the recommended maintenance height to improve light pe*******on, encourage healthy growth, and facilitate subsequent renovation activities.

3. W**d Removal: Unwanted w**ds are being hand pulled to root level to reduce competition with unwanted w**ds and create a clean seedbed for healthy grass establishment.
4. Top Dressing and Surface Levelling: Carefully selected alluvia sand is being applied to low and renovated areas to improve surface levels, increase drainage and provide a suitable medium for new grass.
5. Grass Re-Establishment: New grass seed will then be planted in renovated areas to assist in re-establishing full grass coverage, creating a more uniform grass, and improving the overall quality and resiliency of the playing surface.

This work is part of the Authority’s planned pitch renovation and preventative maintenance programme. These are known worldwide as best practice procedures in natural pitch management and are ideally carried out during the off-season to enable a recovery period before the start of competitive fixtures.

The National Sports Authority is fully committed to ensuring that the pitch of the Baba Yara Sports Stadium is in the best condition to provide a safe, durable and quality playing surface for all stakeholders.

*Ashanti NSA steps up off-Season Pitch Rehabilitation at Baba Yara Sports Stadium*

The Ashanti regional directorate of the National Sports Authority (NSA) has completed phase one of pre-rehabilitation works on the playing surface of the Baba Yara Sports Stadium.

The diligent and delicate re-grassing of the old pitch forms part of the Baba Yara annual off-season maintenance programme.

The exercise, which commenced in early June, is aimed at restoring the pitch to optimal playing condition ahead of the resumption of football activities and other sporting events at the country's second most patronized sporting facility.

Groundsmen have commenced aeration, reseeding, top-dressing and other agronomic interventions designed to improve grass growth and overall pitch quality.

Regional officials say the maintenance programme forms part of a broader commitment to ensuring that the stadium continues to meet the standards required for both domestic and international competitions.

The off-season period provides an opportunity for extensive work to be carried out on the surface without disrupting scheduled sporting activities.

The Baba Yara Sports Stadium remains one of Ghana's most important sporting venues, hosting matches involving Asante Kotoko, the Black Stars and other major national events.

The ongoing rehabilitation is expected to significantly enhance the quality of the playing surface ahead of the new football season.