Ghana Football Association (GFA) President Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku has appealed to the government to allow Colts clubs across the country to use government-owned astroturf facilities for free.
Okraku made the appeal on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, at the launch of the 2026/27 Colts Football League season, highlighting the challenges grassroots clubs face in securing suitable pitches for their matches.
Ghana has seen significant investment in the construction of astroturf facilities by successive governments, private individuals and other stakeholders across the country.
However, according to the GFA President, the availability of pitches remains a major challenge for Colts clubs, with Ghana currently having a little over 1,000 clubs participating in grassroots football.
“Our Colts clubs are struggling. Today, we have a little over a thousand Colts clubs across the country, but our Colts clubs cannot find pitches to play on,” Okraku said.
He noted that the cost of hiring pitches has become a significant financial burden for club owners for a 90-minute game.
“At the moment, Colts club owners are struggling. You want to play a 90-minute game on a pitch, and you have to pay between GH¢500 and GH¢1,500,” he added.
Okraku also pointed to the loss of traditional playing grounds as another challenge confronting grassroots football.
“The pitches that we used to play on, the pitches that I used to play Colts on, have been taken over by investors,” he said.
While acknowledging the investment made in the construction of astroturf facilities, Okraku called on the government to make its facilities freely accessible to Colts clubs.
“By the grace of God, we’ve seen some investment in the construction of astroturfs across the country by private individuals and by governments. Now, my appeal is simple. Let us make the government-owned astroturfs available for free to our Colts clubs,” he said.
“We appreciate the investment in the construction of the astroturf, but we want to use those facilities for our Colts clubs for free.”
The appeal comes as the GFA begins the 2026/27 Colts Football season, with the association seeking to strengthen grassroots football and maintain the competition as an important pathway for the development of young players in Ghana.
