Baba Yara Stadium
Baba Yara Sports Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Kumasi, Ashanti. It is Ghana's football stadiums in Ghana|largest stadium], with a seating capacity of 40,528.
The Kumasi Stadium is used mostly for football matches, although it is also used for athletics. It is the home of Kumasi Asante Kotoko as well as King Faisal.
The Stadium which is known for hosting important games such as World cup qualifiers and AFCON qualifiers received its heaviest backlash due to technical infraction and unsuitable playing field. This was due to a church program organized on the pitch thereby losing its license to host football matches of international standard s.
History
The stadium was originally built by the United African Company in 1957 and inaugurated as a designated football pitch in 1959. The first stands were constructed in 1971. The stadium was rebuilt in 1977. It was renamed after Kumasi-born footballer Baba Yara under the New Patriotic government in 2004.The third major works ended in 2008. As part of the works, the west stand was demolished and replaced by a two-tier stand with press, corporate, and VIP facilities. The rest of the stands were upgraded, seats were added, and transparent panels were installed to separate the spectator area from the playing area in order to prevent pitch invasions.