2002 was a memorable year. Sylvain Wiltord’s rebound at Old Trafford clinched the Premier League title for Arsenal. Zinedine Zidane’s volley in Glasgow secured Real Madrid’s ninth Champions League title.
Ronaldo was the spearhead of Brazil’s star-studded FIFA World Cup winning team in Yokohama whilst the Los Angeles Lakers secured a three-peat in the NBA on the back of yet another Shaquille O’Neal masterclass.
It was also a significant year for a young boy, aged six at the time, who used to play football with his peers on the rough pitches of New Estate, Obuasi. One fateful Sunday morning, his father woke him up with a message that would eventually change his life.
“I’m going to watch Ashanti Gold play at the Len Clay Sports stadium today, would you want to come?” he said. The boy gave an affirmative nod, with the prospect of watching a match from up close running through his mind for hours.
He had heard the name Ashanti Gold consistently mentioned by the townsfolk. He heard how big the club was, and how the Len Clay Sports stadium would usually be filled on weekends with fans cheering the names of their local heroes. For the first time in his young life, he would have the opportunity to taste what many children dreamt of.
He repeatedly checked the time for hours, waiting for his father’s signal to move. He was anxious, excited, restless. “It’s time. Let’s go, junior,” his father said. The boy rushed to his side, all dressed up and ready for his first real ‘adventure’.
The Len Clay Sports Stadium was a walking distance from the boy’s home, a very convenient situation. He engaged in small talks with his dad on the way. “I wanted to play football professionally, but an injury killed my dream. So now, I like watching footballers rise to the top,” his father recounted.
After a few minutes of walking, they finally got to the entrance of the stadium, where a huge number of fans waited to purchase their tickets to enter. It eventually got to their turn. His father bought two popular stand tickets and was given the permission to enter.
“So many people!” the boy remarked. “It’s like this on most weekends,” his father replied with a smile. The stadium was at full capacity. Getting a spot to sit was a hassle. But after a few minutes, the pair were settled.
“Daddy, I want this,” the kid said. He has spotted a seller running around with poloo, a Ghanaian snack made from coconut dough. It’s something he had never tried before but what’s a new adventure without a new snack? His father obliged and bought him a piece.
He munched this new snack happily whilst waiting for the players to enter the pitch. The then empty pitch was a sight to behold. Two big goalposts, green grass and clear lines drawn on the pitch. “It looks beautiful,” the kid said to himself. After what seemed like a long time of waiting, the fans gave a loud cheer. “Look junior, the players are coming! Look at the ones in yellow. That is Ashanti Gold!”. Two sets of teams slowly entered the pitch. The kid’s eyes lit when he saw a group of young men wearing the yellow jerseys, showing laser focus on the task at hand; beating the opposition.
For the entirety of the game, the young boy watched how the men in yellow passed the ball, tackled their opposition and tried their luck at goal. The final score line is lost in his memory, probably because he wasn’t paying attention to the big scoreboard. He just fell in love with the crunching tackles, loud cheers and the way the home team moved the ball around.
After the full-time whistle blew, fans slowly filed out of the stadium. So did father and son. “Did you enjoy the game?” his father asked. “I did!” was his reply. From then on, this young boy spent most of his free time watching football matches on TV and in the stadium. He saw Jonathan Mensah, then affectionately called “Paa Joe” rise to prominence, eventually featuring for the Black Stars in a memorable 2010 FIFA World Cup run. He ran around the streets of Obuasi in delight when Ashanti Gold won the Ghana Premier League for the fourth time in their history in 2015.
He watched Appiah McCarthy draw admiration from ultras for his gunslinger pose and accuracy on free kicks. He also watched the recent seasons, the pace and improved finishing from 2021/22 Ghana Premier League top goal scorer Yaw Annor put smiles on the now young man’s face.
Despite his academic background, his passion for football never died. It has been a source of his entertainment and now a source of his income.
On 10th July, 2023, this young man was keen to watch the developments of the GFA Congress. His main agenda was to know what would happen to Ashanti Gold. He was left heartbroken by the club’s demotion to the Division Two League following a match-fixing scandal and subsequent suspension for dealing with two key people banned from footballing activities.
He had hoped for a miracle, a way the club could get reinstated. But it wasn’t to be. 67 in favour of the motion to suspend Ashanti Gold, 17 against the motion. The miners will not be allowed to participate in any GFA footballing activity indefinitely.
For Bill Eshun, a key part of his love for football, has gone into darkness. The local club he has supported from the age of six is gone. He can only hope that Ashanti Gold finds a way back into the fold and once again bring smiles to the six-year-old boy who had his first real taste of football in 2002.
By Bill Eshun|3Sports|Ghana
