Baba Yara Stadium
Former names | Kumasi Sports Stadium |
---|---|
Location | Kumasi, Ghana |
Owner | Sports Council of Ghana |
Tenants | |
Asante Kotoko King Faisal Babes |
Baba Yara Stadium (also known as Kumasi Sports Stadium) is a multi-use stadium in Kumasi, Ghana. It is Ghana's largest stadium, with a capacity of 40,000. It is named after Baba Yara, one of Ghana's top footballers who played for Asante Kotoko and the Ghana national football team, the Black Stars as a right winger.[1]
The Kumasi Stadium is used mostly for football matches, although it is also used for athletics. It is the home of one of Africa's most popular clubs, Asante Kotoko as well as King Faisal Babes. Kumasi is Ghana's second largest city and the capital of the Ashanti Kingdom. The stadium was originally built by the United African Company (UAC) around the time of Ghana's independence.[2]
The first major renovation of the stadiium took place in 1971.[2] The stadium was rebuilt in 1977. The third major works ended in 2008.
The stadium hosted 6 group matches and one of the semi final matches of the 1978 African Cup of Nations tournament in Ghana. During the 2000 African Cup of Nations in Ghana and Nigeria, the stadium hosted 7 matches.[3] It was later used for the 2008 African Cup of Nations.
External links
References
- ^ Wayo Seni (2008-01-30). "Name the Tamale Stadium after Tanko Nasamu". Retrieved 2008-02-06.
- ^ a b David Kyei (2008-01-06). "Kotoko to celebrate 50yrs of Baba Yara Stadium". Asante Kotoko. Retrieved 2008-02-06.
- ^ BBC News Online | Africa | Sport | Cup of Nations | Venue Guide | Kumasi