The Bono Regional Minister, Justina Owusu-Banahene, on Tuesday led the Director-General of the National Sports Authority (NSA), Professor Peter Twumasi, and other dignitaries to inspect the current state of the Sunyani Coronation Park ahead of the 2023/24 betPawa Premier League.
The inspection became necessary because of the numerous challenges associated with the park, which could deny newly-promoted Bofoakwa Tano from using the park as its home venue for the 2023/23 BetPawa Premier League as it may not meet compliance requirements of the Ghana Football Association’s Club Licensing Board.
Failure to address the stadium’s issues before the start of the next football season could result in the Club Licensing Board directing Bofoakwa to play their home matches at an approved stadium outside Sunyani.
According to report, the Club Licensing board has already communicated with the club, highlighting several defects within the facility and the urgent need for the construction of a new dressing room, supporters stands, a safe zone, inner perimeter fencing, a modern tunnel to ensure the safety of players and officials, as well as a press centre, among other requirements, to meet the standards for hosting premier league matches next season.
Bofoakwa Tano’s qualification into the topflight league has exposed the weaknesses of the Coronation Park and placed pressure on relevant authorities such as the Ministry of Youth and Sports, NSA, Bono Regional Coordinating Council and the Sunyani Municipal Assembly to take immediate action before the start of the 2023/2024 Premier League season.
The visit by the minister and key officials was to gather first-hand information about the state of the facility, including issues raised by the Club Licensing Board, in order to take immediate action before the start of the next season.
After the inspection, Prof. Twumasi informed the media that the dressing room would undergo rehabilitation, as constructing a new one within two months was impractical. He explained that given the time constraints, the NSA planned to focus on improving the poor state of the tunnel instead of constructing a new dressing room.
“Since we need to meet the league qualification within two months, we have to address the immediate needs of the facility rather than taking a holistic approach,” he said.
Assuring swift action, Prof. Twumasi indicated that the NSA had internally mobilised resources to commence the rehabilitation work and ensure its speedy completion.
“We will ensure that contractors speed up the rehabilitation work to meet the league deadline.”
For her part, Ms Owusu-Banahene said that stakeholders in the region recently made the decision at a meeting to invite the Minister of Youth and Sports, Mustapha Ussif, and the NSA boss for discussions regarding the rehabilitation of the facility. She emphasised that their visit to the park would help them understand the challenges it faces, enabling them to take the necessary action.
Source: Biyaa Ali
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