Hockey: Easter Region Association Inaugurated

The Chairman of the Ghana Hockey Association (GHA), Oko-Nikoi Dzani inaugurated the Eastern Region Hockey Association in a ceremony on Saturday March 15 2008 in Koforidua. The ceremony was preceded by hockey matches that featured 2 club sides from Accra, Multistix and NDK Financiers, the Koforidua and Suhum Hockey clubs from the Eastern Region, the Suhum under-14 club and some selected schools from the Region.

An eleven member executive made up of representatives from various stakeholder institutions and chaired by Mr. E. K. Dartey was sworn into office and charged with the development of the sport in the region.

In his inaugural address, the chairman of the GHA expressed his joy and that of the entire Association on the progress the Eastern Region had made so far in the development of the sport and congratulated all who have contributed towards this achievement. He encouraged the executive to continue to harness the available resources within to make the Association more functional.

He reminded the gathering that Ghana Hockey had been selected by African Hockey in recognition of its development achievements to host the rest of the continent in 2009 during the Africa Cup of Nations. He intimated that it was the wish of the African Hockey Federation that the hosting of the continental showpiece will bring new dimensions of hockey development to the country.

He assured the Regional Association of the commitment of the GHA to continue to offer buck-up technical and equipment support to the region to ensure that the development process is enhanced. He encouraged the Regional body to spread their activities to the Districts to expand the coverage.

This brings to four (4) Regional Associations that have been inaugurated by the GHA in the past 10 months and a total of five with the inclusion of the Greater Accra Hockey Association (GAHA) that are in operation. The GAHA has been operational for more than 20 years and has served as a useful partner to the GHA in the development agenda. The Chairman and Secretary of GAHA were in Koforidua to participate in the ceremony.

The Chairman of the GHA repeated that as part of facilitating the rapid development of the sport, the annual National Club Championships will be re-kindled to bring about a high level of competition and encouraged the Eastern Region Association to harness the full potential of the talents within the region in this regard. The Executive is made up of the following:

1. E. K Dartey - Chairman

2. Lawrence Agyemfra - Vice Chairman

3. Ohene Akoto - Secretary

4. Michael Adjei - Assistant Secretary

5. Rexford Martey - Treasurer

6. George Boateng - Financial Secretary

7. George Osafo Adjei - Technical Director

8. Michael Martinson - Assistant Tech. Director

9. Sampson Sarpong - Welfare Officer

10. Kofi Amponsah - Public Relations Officer

11. Samuel Yirenkyi - Media Representative