The Director General of the National Sports Authority Prof. Peter Twumasi has explained why the Accra Sports Stadium was rented out for musical concerts and church activities during the festive season in a statement released today, December 30, 2023.
The NSA Boss cited limited funds from the Ministry of Youth & Sports, leading the authority to seek additional revenue through facility rentals.
It must be placed on record that NSA receives meager funds from the Ministry.
In 2022, NSA received only GHS 287,000 for its goods and services across the country to manage all sporting disciplines and facilities.
It must be noted that Sporting Clubs don’t pay to use our stadia, but just pay 10% of gate proceeds to NSA per match day which in most times amounts to less than One Thousand Ghana Cedis (GHS 1,000). It costs NSA almost GHS 10,000 to prepare one major stadium for a match.
We pay about GHS 80,000 per month for ECG bills in Accra Sports Stadium alone. Same in Kumasi, Cape Coast and Tamale stadia.
Water, sanitation and security together cost NSA almost GHS 50,000 per month per each of the stadia.
Twumasi emphasized that renting the stadium for non-football events assists in addressing financial challenges faced by clubs struggling to cover daily usage costs of the Accra Sports Stadium, ultimately helping settle incurred debts by the National Sports Stadium.
The reaction comes on the back of several critics faced by the NSA following the mishandling of the facility in the last few days, leaving the natural pitch in bad condition for footballers.
The Accra Sports Stadium pitch has been left in a deplorable state in the aftermath of Stonebwoy’s 2023 BHIM Concert.
The celebrated Afro dancehall artiste sold out the 40,000-capacity stadium with his annual concert last Friday, December 22, 2023.
But while the performances of the various artists thrilled patrons, the pitch of the stadium ended up suffering for it.
Some videos that emerged after the BHIM concert showed bikers nonchalantly drifting on the pitch as the grass went off devastatingly.
The pitch at the Accra Sports stadium being subjected to dirt bike stunts during a musical concert pic.twitter.com/3flkMSOaGm
— The Fundamentals (@KojoNketsia) December 23, 2023
The latest footage shows the pitch in a dilapidated state after hosting the concert, with the grass looking pale and grey.
The Accra Sports Stadium hosted its last football game on December 1, 2023, when the Black Queens played Namibia in a first-leg AFCON qualifier.
The National Sports Authority (NSA) later announced that it was closing down the stadium to football matches to rent it out for Christmas concerts instead.