Chief Executive Officer of Free Minds Communication Limited, owners of Plan B FM, Mrs. Comfort Aniagyei, has appealed to President John Dramani Mahama to prioritise the rehabilitation and maintenance of the Tema Sports Stadium alongside the construction of new sports facilities across the country.
According to Mrs. Aniagyei, while the government’s decision to construct new stadia is a welcome initiative, equal attention must be given to existing facilities that have deteriorated due to years of poor maintenance.
She cited the Tema Sports Stadium as a major example of a viable facility that has fallen into disuse despite the growing number of grassroots footballers in the industrial city and its surrounding communities.
Mrs. Aniagyei made the call during the closing ceremony of the fifth edition of the Plan B FM GrassRoot Cup 2026 at the Tema Community 2 Mexico School Astro Turf on Sunday, September 13.
She said the condition of the Tema Sports Stadium was particularly concerning given Tema’s strong football culture and the large number of young players who need quality facilities to develop their talents.
“President John Mahama recently explained his administration’s decision to initiate the construction of 10 new stadia across Ghana. This, he said, is to address Ghana’s sports infrastructure needs. This is a very good initiative,” she said.
“We, however, tag our appeal to the President on this initiative. Mr President, there are some very viable stadia which have fallen into disuse merely because of lack of maintenance. A classic example is the Tema Sports Stadium.”
Mrs. Aniagyei stressed that Tema remains a hub for grassroots football, with thousands of young footballers participating in community-level competitions and aspiring to progress to the professional and national levels.
She therefore urged the government to broaden its sports infrastructure programme to include the rehabilitation and maintenance of existing stadia.
“Tema is bursting with thousands of grassroots footballers. As reflected in our theme for this tournament, ‘Today’s GrassRoot, Tomorrow’s Global Champion’, we therefore call on you, Mr President, to include the repair and maintenance of some existing stadia in addition to the provision of new stadia,” she added.
She described the Tema Sports Stadium as one of the facilities that could once again play a significant role in the development of football in the area if properly rehabilitated and maintained.
“Tema Sports Stadium is one such very viable stadium, and I believe that the good people of Tema and its environs will be eternally grateful for appropriate maintenance to bring it to international standards,” Mrs. Aniagyei stated.
Her comments came as Plan B FM concluded the fifth edition of its GrassRoot Cup, a competition designed to bring communities together while providing a platform for young footballers to showcase their talents.
The tournament brought together 32 teams, reinforcing the need for functional sporting facilities to support grassroots football development in Tema and beyond.
Mrs. Aniagyei’s appeal therefore adds to growing calls for a balanced approach to sports infrastructure development, where the construction of new facilities is complemented by the rehabilitation, proper management and regular maintenance of existing stadia.
By: Bernard Mensah / Planbfmonline.com
Discussion about this post