Correspondence from Western Region

The youth of Nzemaland in the Western Region have made a passionate appeal to the current management of the Ghana National Gas Company (GNGC) to urgently renovate the Crosby Awuah Memorial (CAM) Sports Facility at Aiyinasi in the Ellembelle District.

The Aiyinasi CAM Park serves as the home venue for the only Ghana Premier League team in the area.

Basake Holy Stars Football Club, which gained promotion into the Ghana Premier League in 2024, has been forced to move its home league games to Sambreboi in the Amenfi West Municipality due to the closure of the Awuah Memorial Sports Facility at Aiyinasi.

Currently, the Awuah Memorial Sports Facility is not fit for any purpose.

The GFA’s Club Licensing Board, after inspecting the facility, found it to be in a very devastating state and directed Basake Holy Stars FC to find an alternative venue.

The only option available was the Samatex Sports Stadium at Sambreboi in the Amenfi West Municipality, also in the Western Region.

Football lovers across Nzemaland have expressed deep worry over the state of the Crosby Awuah Memorial facility and the plight of their only Premier League team.

“The distance from Nzema to Sambreboi is not a short journey, and it will cost Basake Holy Stars FC a lot of money to move there and even win matches over there. We are worried, and we don’t know what to do. Why must this happen to us in Nzema? We Nzemas love football so much,” some concerned supporters lamented.

A visit by our Western Regional Correspondent to the Aiyinasi CAM Sports Facility confirmed that the infrastructure was deteriorating.

Speaking exclusively to GhanaWeb’s Western Regional Correspondent, Daniel Kaku, on Sunday, August 17, 2025, a diehard supporter of Basake Holy Stars FC, Amos Cudjoe, expressed disappointment and blamed embattled Paramount Chief of the Eastern Nzema Traditional Council, Awulae Amihere Kpanyinli III, for hindering the progress of Nzema football.

“Awulae Amihere Kpanyinli III has filed a motion for an interlocutory injunction against the team, coupled with a writ of summons against the CEO and the club. As it stands now, we have no choice but to play our home matches away from Nzemaland. Samatex FC has graciously permitted us to use their park in Samreboi for our home matches, but this step, no matter how generous, deprives us of our heritage as Nzemas,” he stated.

“Let us not forget: in recent years, there was another club, Karela United, which also carried the banner of Nzemaland in the Premier League. After the unfortunate demise of its CEO, the late Senator David Brigidi, affectionately known as Senator Saya (may his soul rest in perfect peace), the team was beset with challenges, both internal and external, that ultimately led to its sale to the Northern part of the country,” he added.

He emphasised that the move by Awulae Amihere Kpanyinli III was ill-timed and detrimental to the progress of Nzema football.

“Let me be clear: this move by Awulae Amihere Kpanyinli III is undeserving, ill-timed, and detrimental to the very progress we are striving to achieve. Football is not just a game; it is a unifying force, a development tool, and a shining light in communities often overlooked. To strip us of this asset is to dim that light,” he expressed with concern.

Amos Cudjoe further noted that football in Nzema boosts economic activities in the area and also serves as a source of unity.

“We respect our traditions, our culture, and our leaders. But leadership must protect, not deprive; it must build, not dismantle; it must unite, not divide. At a time when we should be rallying behind our only Premier League team, we are instead facing internal obstacles that threaten to erase years of hard work,” he stated.

He therefore appealed to the Ghana National Gas Company to step in and renovate the Aiyinasi CAM Sports Facility to save Basake Holy Stars FC from collapse.

“We are calling on Ghana Gas. We need your urgent support. Let us work together to renovate our home ground, the Crosby Awuah Memorial Park, so that our matches can continue to be played right here, where they belong,” he appealed.

He concluded: “This team belongs to Nzemaland. Its victories are our victories; its struggles are our struggles. We will not allow this proud symbol of our identity to be taken away. Let us come together, speak with one voice, and ensure that our home matches remain in the heart of Nzema, for our pride, our economy, and our future.”





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