Member of Parliament for Manhyia South Constituency, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has commissioned the newly constructed Otumfuo Astro turf at Dichemso in his constituency.
The commissioning, as part of efforts to provide the youth in Manhyia South “a safe, secure and modern facility to hone their footballing skills,” took place last Sunday, December 18, 2022.
The astro turf was initially scheduled to be commissioned on Saturday, September 3, 2022, but was postponed due to unnamed reasons.
In his remarks on Sunday, Dr Opoku Prempeh, who doubles as the Minister for Energy, urged the people of Dichemso and the entire constituents of Manhyia South to ensure the effective maintenance of the facility for generations yet unborn to benefit from the same.
He also expressed gratitude to GETFUND, “for the support as well as all others for the construction of this important project.”
Present at the commissioning were Minister for Youth Sports, Mustapha Ussif, Members of Parliament, NPP National, Regional and Constituency Executives.
The use of the sand based artificial grass pitches has become the norm as maintenance of natural pitches has been a challenge in the country.
The issue gained national attention in 2019 when the Baba Yara Sports stadium failed to host the President’s Cup between Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak due to the bad nature of the turf.
The game between Kotoko and Hearts barely lasted for 10 minutes before the referees and match commissioner realised the pitch was not safe for use after a downpour.
There has been a switch to Astro turfs since then.
Astro turfs are highly durable, can withstand wear and tear, is weather-proof, does not get waterlogged, and is not prone to pest infestations, therefore making it a preferred choice to natural pitches.
Tema Park is the first national artificial pitch funded by FIFA’s ‘Win in Africa with Africa’ project.
There is also the Achimota Mile 7 astro turf funded by Frimps Oil Company Limited, Essikado Astro Turf.
On Tuesday, August 30, the Ghana Football Association President, Kurt Okraku, cut sod for the construction of the betPawa Park, one astro turf, at the Ghamaman Centre of Excellence at Prampram.
Source: The Independent Ghana