All is set for the grand 17th Home Coming celebration of Accra Academy on Saturday August 5th to12, 2017.
According to the organisers, this year’s celebrations is going to be long, exciting and diverse with the testing of the Astro turf constructed at the Asamoah Gyan Sports Center, in the school premise on August 5, 2017.
As part of the Home Coming, various Year groups will participate in a football gala and there would be other sporting activities like jama roll call, gari soaking competition, bon fire and fireworks, Arm wrestling competition and others as the Year groups challenge each other with fun, music, food and entertainment.
There would be special programs to register NHIS bio metrically, networking and career fair, and more/.
The organisers urged all Bleoobii (old boys) of the school to feel the real testing of the astro turf which Accra Academy is the first school to possess a sports facilities worth thousands of dollars, constructed by products of the school in the persons of Asamoah Gyan, captain of the Black Stars, his manager, Sammy Anim Addo, his lawyer and constructor cum consultant of the field Mr. R. Coleman of Wembly Sports Construction, experts in astro turfs.
Dr. Captain Nana Asamoah Mensah Gyan, “Bleoobi 2002” has already been honoured with the “Order of the Platinum”, the highest honour of the school for his achievements on and off the football field.
The 31-year-old Black Stars skipper and striker cut sod in late 2015 to begin the ultra-modern astroturf during a ceremony which was graced by old students of Accra Academy and the public in general.
The first phase of the multipurpose facility was estimated to cost GH¢ 700,000.00 was commissioned a couple of days ago by former President of Ghana J. J. Rawlings and the Sports Minister Hon. Isaac Asiamah on behalf of President Nana Akuffo Addo.
Asamoah Gyan is the most popular Ghanaian footballer, was one of the highest paid players and is on record to be the highest African goals scorer at the FIFA World Cup as well as participated in many African Cup of Nations and scored most international goals for the Black Stars of Ghana.
The artificial pitch arrived from Turkey on January 30, 2016 for the historic project of the school, where a bronze statue of the Captain would be mounted for his kind gesture.
The project includes a turf, with a tartan track surrounding it and dressing rooms, a fence wall, toilet facilities and Flood lights which are all already in place.
The next phase would be a multipurpose sports hall for indoor sports like table tennis, basketball, badminton, handball, taekwondo, judo, karate do, volleyball, fencing and others.
The pitch was constructed by Ghanaian private owned company Wembley Sports Construction Company Limited with its FIFA approved turf partner ‘HATKO’ of Turkey
The facility which is worth over $250,000 as cost will, however, be managed by Wembley Sports Complex in partnership with the management of the school as well as Gyan’s Foundation.
By Sammy Heywood Okine