Feature by Offei-Akoto Ayeh

World Football governing body, FIFA, in its regulations on the laws of the game stipulates, "Matches may be played on natural or artificial surfaces, according to the rules of the competition. The colour of artificial surfaces must be green."

This notwithstanding, football pitches in the Upper East Region have over the years not seen any major face-lift although successive Ministers and prominent stakeholders in the sporting fraternity have promised on different occasions to get the playing field of the Bolgatanga Sports Stadium grassed.

Mention can be made of outgoing Deputy Upper East Regional Minister, Hon. Daniel Syme, who during an Awards night ceremony was emphatic that, some work will be done on the grassless Bolgatanga Sports Stadium field to give it a face-lift before the start of the football season.

Member of Parliament for Bawku Central and former Sports Minister, Hon. Mahama Ayariga during his tenure as Minister, inspected sporting facilities in the Regional capital and promised to give them a face-lift.

Paraphrasing Hon. Ayariga.....

This government has resolved to ensure that, sports are developed in this region. We have seen that when it comes to sports, this region has been relegated, so we will make all efforts at ensuring that, the region is provided with sporting facilities, whiles already existing facilities are given a facelift. We are waiting on the contractors to give us an estimate on the work to be done on this field, so that work can commence on the facility.

Years after these promises, not a lump of grass is seen on the Bolgatanga Sports Stadium field, thereby leaving it as "Sakora" as it is.

The Stadium has an inner perimeter around the grassless pitch; it is however not a sight to behold. The stadium remains the only choice for the various Division One Clubs in the Upper East region, even though the supposed dressing rooms and VIP Sitting area has since the late 1970s has never been completed. There is no sitting area and over the years spectators have had to stand on the scotching sun to watch football. The people of Bolgatanga and the Upper East region in general love football in particular, but only the "die-hard" defy the odds and come to the stadium to watch matches on weekends and mid-weeks. In short, the facility does not meet the standard and the Regional Authorities must do something about, lest the Division One Club lose the opportunity to play their home matches in the region.

Spectators have to endure standing throughout ninety minutes of football under the scotch of the sun, inhaling the dust emanating from the pitch and this must stop.

As teams prepare feverishly for the coming season, they are have no choice but to resort to the "Sakora" field which according to them, is a great scare to the health of their players and technical handlers.

Chief Executive Officer for Bolgatanga based F.C TANGA is Humul khulsum Tahiru. Her team prepares itself for its debut participation in the league; she tells me that, as young as the Club is; it has been able to secure a land where they intend to build a Club house, Stadium and accommodation for their players in the future.

She was however saddened by the utter neglect and show of disregard for the sport of football by various stakeholders in the region adding that, various Regional Ministers and other dignitaries have been made aware of the situation, but efforts to get them to help has proven futile.

"The issue of giving the Bolgatanga stadium a face-lift has come up in lots of discussions, but I don't know whether stakeholders and leaders of the region do not know the value of sports hence the state of our stadium," she said.

"It is so embarrassing when players have to attend to natures call in the bush rather than a washroom. Because of the state of the dressing room, players have to dress outside which, should not be the case. Even during half time, when coaches should have a private chat with their players, they have to sit on the field. This is unprofessional and a very bad practice," she lamented.

She prayed all stakeholders to come together to help give the facility a face-lift to help develop the sport of football in the Region.

The story was no different with Bawku Football field. Real Bawku United who have relocated to their original home grounds, Bawku where they are having a hard time in working on their home ground.

General Manager of the team, Tahiru Musah believes that, this low development and lack of sports infrastructure is owed to successive Governments neglect of the region.

According to him, most regions that have been blessed with grassed pitches are mostly done by the government.

"Look at Tamale for example, the Ghana Secondary School park, the Tamale Secondary School park and the Stadium and its annex, these are all done by governments so why have we been neglected by successive governments?" he questioned.

A worried Tahiru believes that, with the talent that abounds in the Upper East region, it is imperative that, stakeholders come together to provide the region with sporting facilities and also give the existing ones a face-lift.

The development of sports especially football in the Upper East Region will continue to lag if the region continues to suffer such neglect from its leaders with regards to provision and rehabilitating sporting facilities.

Teams will spring up and talents will be discovered, but they will all go down the drain if the facilities to develop and nurture them are lacking.

God Bless Upper East region, God bless Ghana our motherland!!!