Story by Joshua Nii Appiah
Both Ghana’s male and female Lacrosse national teams emerged winners at this year’s Wildfire Lacrosse Festival, which took place at the Mankessim Astro Turf and the Saltpond Centre of Sports in the Central Region.
The annual championship, which was organised by the Ghana Lacrosse Association, saw the hosts, Ghana, competing against Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, and Togo.
Ghana’s male team started their campaign with a 5-4 victory over sworn rivals, Cote d’Ivoire, who finished second in the five-day tournament, which ran from Wednesday, August 7 -to Sunday,12. The team again beat Benin 8-3 before recording an emphatic 11-0 win over Burkina Faso.
Ghana’s male team wrapped up their conquest with a 5-1 drubbing against Togo.
Ghana’s female team also maintained a 100 percent record after beating their Ivorian counterparts 4-1. They also beat Benin by eight goals to three before a 3-2 win against Togo.
President of the Ghana Lacrosse Association, Evans Ntiamoah, spoke about the efforts being made by the Association to popularise lacrosse in Ghana.
“In our quest to develop the sport, we are using the Wildfire Lacrosse Festival, where we bring together coaches, officials, and athletes both within Africa and beyond,” he stated. Mr Ntiamoah continued, “We want to incorporate young females into the administration, officiating, and coaching; and so over the last three years we have been able to increase female Lacrosse players from fifteen to eighty-five.”
He also urged corporate bodies to support the Ghana Lacrosse Association through partnerships and financial aid to develop the game.
The Ghana Lacrosse Association became a member of World Lacrosse in 2019 and is a member of the Africa Association of Lacrosse, which now has fifteen members.