University of Ghana’s Assistant Hockey Coach, Walter Brown, has revealed that the state of the University of Cape Coast’s hockey pitch, used for the 28th edition of the Ghana University Sports Association (GUSA) Games, is deplorable.
These comments came after the University of Ghana’s men’s hockey team faced off against the University of Cape Coast on Tuesday, January 7, on the said pitch.
UG emerged victorious in a thrilling match, securing 2 points out of a possible 3.
The game ended goalless after all four quarters, with UG winning 5-4 in a sudden-death penalty shootout.
Speaking to Citi Sports, Coach Walter described the pitch as a hazard to the players, expressing his dissatisfaction with the surface being used for such a major tournament.
“There is sand in some areas, and patches of grass in others. At times, it feels like you’re playing beach hockey, and at other times, it feels like grass hockey.
It’s uneven, it’s not up to standard, and it’s even a risk to the players—not just our team, but the other teams as well,” he said.
“We expected to play on a standard pitch, perhaps at one of the secondary schools, because Augasco has a standard pitch. It would have been nice to showcase the kind of quality hockey that could inspire others to love the game. But playing on this surface is concerning,” he added.
Coach Walter also emphasised that despite the poor pitch condition, his team remained determined to perform at their highest level.
“For us, we came here to win, regardless of the surface. Our goal was to win, and we’ve achieved that.”
Citi Sports also spoke with the University of Ghana’s captain, Richard Adjei, who played on the pitch during the match.
We asked him if the pitch condition affected his play and whether he agreed with his coach’s remarks.
“I think my coach has hit the nail on the head. A tournament like the GUSA Games should be the next step for our national teams.
Due to youthful exuberance, players from here can make it to the national team. But playing on these kinds of pitches makes it difficult to transition to the national level, where they play on proper surfaces.
If we had well-laid turfs here, players would become accustomed to the conditions.
GUSA is a major tournament, so I believe that for every GUSA, we should have turfs installed at all the universities,” he said passionately.
The GUSA Games will run from January 3 to 18, 2025, with 16 universities competing across 12 disciplines.
