Football in the Gold Coast was birthed along the coast (Cape Coast) in the late years of the 19th century, and propagated to Accra in the early years of the 20th century, leading to the formation of Accra Hearts of Oak in 1911 (the oldest existing football club).
The game of football caught the eyes of some European merchants and railway workers in the Western region, resulting in the formation of Sekondi Eleven Wise in 1919 (the second oldest existing football club) and Sekondi Hasaacas in 1931.
Sekondi Eleven Wise 
Popularly known as The Western Show Boys, the club has a long standing tradition of playing a type of fascinating and entertaining game; punctuated with eye pleasing dribbling that keep fans on their toes, as they were – back in the days – known as the pioneers of “Tiki Taka” in Ghanaian football.
Sekondi Eleven Wise were one of the 8 pioneer teams that started the league in 1958, alongside local rivals, Sekondi Hasaacas, Accra Great Olympics, Accra Hearts of Oak, Kumasi Asante Kotoko, Kumasi Cornerstone, Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs, and Cape Coast Venomous Vipers.
After being integral as one of the pioneers of the league, The Western Show Boys won the 1960 edition, becoming the third club to win the league after Hearts of Oak (1958) and Asante Kotoko (1959).
The 1960 glorious days of Sekondi Eleven Wise were fascinating and amazing. It was a sharp rise from the bottom of the table the previous year to the top. Led by burly prolific scorer, Edward Acquah, the “Show Boys” were engaged in a terrific neck-and-neck title race with Asante Kotoko (the defending champions), securing victory with a point margin.
Sadly after that feat, Sekondi Eleven Wise have scarcely come close to the title, while Kumasi Asante Kotoko and Accra Hearts of Oak have won it 23 and 20 times respectively.
Efforts were pumped into the club in preparation for the 1984 league season, as the club took the entire 35 registered players and the technical team on a splurgy three-week tour of Brazil to fine tune them for the league campaign – which saw them put up a spirited performance, finishing in second place behind Accra Hearts of Oak.
However, the narrative was altered in the late years of the 20th century. The Western Show Boys tasted relegation twice, first in the 1990/91 season, as they sunk with Tano Bofoakwa, Upper West Heroes and Fosu Soccer Missionaries.
The Western Show Boys bounced back into the top flight four years after, which was also short lived, leading them to demotion in 1998. Good news reached them in 2008 as they once again earned their Premier League status after a 2-0 victory over FC Samartex 1996.
Nonetheless, Premier League football proved to be much of a hard bone to be bitten at the new Essipong Stadium as they were relegated, alongside local rivals Sekondi Hasaacas and Accra Great Olympics, being the last time they played in the Ghana Premier League.
Sekondi Hasaacas
The Giants of the West was born in 1931 by six rail workers who were admirers of Accra Hearts of Oak. The founding fathers named the club using initials which comprised the first letters of their names; thus H.A.S.A.A.C.A.S.— namely Hammond, Amua Sakyi, Adotei, Allotey, Cann, Adotey, and Sackey.
The name later became Sekondi Hasaacas because, the team was based in Sekondi and boasted of being the first club to have an academy and a women’s team (Hasaacas Ladies – the most successful women’s team in Ghana).
Sekondi Hasaacas proved to be a building block in the nation’s success in sports, producing four captains for the senior national team (the Black Stars) and contributing as many as five players to the squad that won the 1982 African Cup of Nations Libya (the last time Ghana won the AFCON).
Hasmal ( Hasaacas Ladies) chalked notable successes in the latter part of the 20th century as they won the Ghana Premier League in 1977, the WAFU Cup in 1981, the SWAG Cup (back to back) in 1982 and 1983, FA Cup, the Super Cup in 1985, and many more.
Just like their local rivals Sekondi Eleven Wise, Hasaacas have lost their feat in the game in the 21st century, as they feature predominantly in the lower divisions of Ghana football.
Football in the Western region has now moved from Sekondi-Takoradi to Nzema (Basake Holy Stars), Tarkwa (Medeama SC), Bibiani (Goldstars), and current GPL Champions, FC Samartex 1996, based in Samreboi.
Sport Facilities and Infrastructure
The current state of Sekondi Sports Stadium is simply an eyesore, with the whole place being in a complete mess.
The stadium has been left to deteriorate. It has also been left unattended to for some years now, with most parts of the stadium seeming to go bad, which in turn is making the rebirth of football an uphill task in Sekondi.
The other sporting facility, Gyandu Park, which traces its history to witnessing great games in the league during the 20th, has now become a pale shade of its former self with brown weeds all over – despite it hosting active football events in the community.
Currently, football in Sekondi – Takoradi is very thin, only a pale shadow of what it used to be.
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Story by: Augustine Quansah| univers.ug.edu.gh
