El Wak Sports Stadium: Accra’s Hidden Athletic Gem

By Accra Sports News Desk | First published on Accra Sports News

📌 Location & Contact

El Wak Sports Stadium
📍 Address: Cantonments (Giffard Road), Accra, Ghana (5.5864°N, 0.1728°W) 
🏟️ Seating Capacity: ~7,000 (all standing or bench-style seating) 
🌱 Surface: Natural grass pitch and athletics track 
🏢 Ownership: Ghana Armed Forces

Contact Info:
📞 Not publicly listed — for event bookings, contact the Ghana Armed Forces Sports Directorate
📧 Suggested: [email protected]

🏛️ Historical Background

• Built for multi-sport use in Accra’s Cantonments, El Wak was initially a training ground for the Ghana Armed Forces and later opened to football and athletics events

• 2016–17 Ghana Premier League: Became home stadium for Inter Allies FC, ending their travel between Tema and Accra

• Adopted by Legon Cities FC in 2021–22, replacing Accra Sports Stadium for home matches

• Athletics usage: Hosts local competitions such as the Security Services Sports Association (SESSA) Games until resurfacing issues sidelined events like SESSA 2024

⚠️ Infrastructure & Condition

• Officials and coaches, including Samuel Boadu, have publicly criticized the pitch’s poor condition during Premier League encounters

• Athletics track deteriorating, prompting calls for urgent renovation

• Local stakeholders frequently label it a “death trap”—highlighting deteriorated seating, infrastructure, and perimeter facilities

🎭 Cultural & Sporting Role

• Used for multi-sport events: football, basketball, tennis, athletics, and handball

• Hosts community matches, high school sports, military tournament finals, and occasional cultural festivals

• Renowned for its gritty, intimate match atmosphere—smaller than Accra Sports Stadium but beloved in Cantonments.

📣 Voices That Matter

• Bawah Fuseini, Ghana Athletics President: “We ask ourselves, why aren’t we hosting this at El Wak? … Renovating it will significantly boost athletics and sports development nationwide.”

• Samuel Boadu, Hearts of Oak coach: “The pitch is not good at all… This is the premiership and we are all crying for the beauty of the game.”

🔧 Calls for Redevelopment

• Marcel Desailly, former Ghana-born France defender, previously offered to support redevelopment—thwarted by bureaucratic hurdles

• Historic promise: In 2009, President Mills announced plans to expand El Wak to a 50,000-seat stadium—but those plans never materialized .

🚌 Getting There

Nearby bus stops: lines 2, 31, 76, 241, 383 — with the closest “37” stop just 3 minutes’ walk Moovit.
Located near Cantonments, easily accessible from Osu and the University of Ghana.

⚽ Future Potential

Despite its problems, El Wak remains a valuable community sports venue. With focused investment—resurfacing, seating upgrades, and modern amenities—it could reclaim its role as a premier athletics and football hub.

Last Updated on April 7, 2026 by Samuel Kwame Boadu

Samuel Kwame Boadu

Samuel Kwame Boadu is a Ghanaian media entrepreneur and storyteller with a passion for amplifying urban voices and uncovering everyday truths. He is the Editor-in-Chief and Founder of Accra Street Journal, a dynamic digital platform dedicated to capturing the pulse of Ghana’s capital—its people, culture, challenges, business, sports and innovations.

accrastreetjournal.com/