Ashanti Gold S.C.

AshantiGold

Full name	Ashanti Gold Sporting Club
Nickname(s)	AshGold,[1] Miners
Founded	1978 [1]
Ground	Len Clay Stadium Obuasi, Ashanti
Capacity	30,000
Owner	Emperor Asantehene Osei Tutu II
Chairman	Kudjoe Fiano
Manager	Bashir Hayford
League	First Capital Plus Bank Premier League
2014–15	1st Champions
Website	Club home page
Home colours Away colours

Ashanti Gold Sporting Club popularly known as AshGold is a football club based in the prestigious gold mining town of Obuasi, south of Kumasi the capital of Ashanti.^[1] The club are currently competing in the First Capital Plus Bank Premier League.

Founding years

The clubs' former crest.

Ashanti Gold SC was founded in 1978 by a group of employees of the Ashanti Goldfields Corporation under the name of Goldfields Sporting Club famously known as Obuasi Goldfields.^[1] The employees pleaded with management of AGC to sponsor the team, but they were always refused. The employees continued to pay the salaries and costs for the team and in the 1984 season the club finished as runner-up in the MTN FA Cup. The management took notice and, through their leading shareholder Lonrho, arranged funding and sent a English manager to help the fledgling team. Still, no senior management was brought in to run the club. Because of their success in the FA cup, the team was promoted to First Capital Plus Bank Premier League the most elite football division. For almost a decade the team struggled due to disorganization, until 1993 when a company official at AGC revamped the club and brought in another English manager. 2004 Obuasi Goldfields Sporting Club Ltd. were renamed AshantiGold Sporting Club Ltd. on April 16 due to AshantiGold Sporting Club's former owners Ashanti Goldfields Corporation.

Years of success

That next season, AshGold finished third in the division after only Ashanti powerhouses Asante Kotoko. The next year a 13-man Board of Directors was established and AshGold won the league. Over the next two years, AshGold won the league again.

Pan-African Cups

The AshGold has competed in three competitions representing Ashanti. In 1995 the reached the quarter-finals in the African Champions League and in 1996 only into the final 16. In 1997 they were the runners up of the African Champions League.

Recent years

Ashanti Gold SC has never matched the greatness of their three-year cup run, but have remained a top team in the First Capital Plus Bank Premier League. They continue to produce excellent footballers who have played throughout Europe. AshGold goalkeeper George Owu, joined the Black Stars in their quest for the FIFA 2006 World Cup, but did not appear in a game.

Honours

Official trophies (recognized by CAF and FIFA)

National

• First Capital Plus Bank Premier League: 4

1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96, 2014–15

• MTN FA Cup: 1

1992–93

International

• CAF Champions League: 0

Finalist: 1997

Other trophies

• Ghana Telecom Gala: 1

1995–96

Performance in CAF competitions

• CAF Champions League: 3 appearances

1997 – Finalist

2007 – First Round

2008 – First Round

• African Cup of Champions Clubs: 1 appearance

1996 – Second Round

• CAF Confederation Cup: 1 appearance

2011 – First Round

• CAF Cup: 2 appearances

2001 – Quarter-finals

2002 – First Round

Current squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player[2] 1 GK Robert Dabuo 2 FW Augustine Sefa 3 DF Bernard Morrison 4 DF Henri Traoré 5 MF Joseph Ato Bissah 6 DF Shafiu Mumuni 7 MF Petrus Shitembi 8 FW Bright Donkor 9 DF Desmond Agbekpornu 10 FW Didier Koré 11 DF Lawrence Lartey 12 FW Amos Addae 13 DF Kenedy Appiah (Captain) 14 DF Joshua Tijani 15 FW Eric Kwaku Opoku 16 GK Nana Bonsu

No. Position Player[2] 17 DF Kadiri Mohammed 18 FW Emmanuel Osei Carlos 19 DF Daniel Oppong 20 FW Emmanuel Baffour 21 FW Ransford Kwakye 22 GK George Apronti 23 DF Nafiu Awudu 24 MF Emmanuel Osei Baffour 25 MF Sani Ahmed Alhaji 26 MF Anthony Yerful 27 MF Francis Adjei 28 GK Fatau Dauda 29 DF Osman Basiru 30 GK Seth Afful 31 FW Yakubu Mohammed

Reserve squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player[2] 51 DF Abideena Fuseini 52 MF Richard Gyamfi 53 MF Prince Domfeh

No. Position Player 54 DF Isaac Afoakwa Jnr 55 MF Isaac Afoakwa Snr

Former coaches

• Paulistinha
• Mohammed Gargo
• Momcilo "Momo" Medić
• Cecil Jones Attuquayefio (1990–93)
• Charles Gyamfi (1992–93)
• Cecil Jones Attuquayefio (1993–95)
• Hans van der Pluijm (July 1, 2000 – June 30, 2002), (July 1, 2004 – Oct 5, 2005)
• Sam Arday (Oct 31, 2004 – May 31, 2005)
• David Duncan (July 1, 2005 – June 30, 2008)
• Zdravko Logarušić (July 1, 2010 – Dec 15, 2011)
• Joachim Yaw Acheampong (Dec 15, 2011 – Dec 18, 2012)
• Mehdi Pashazadeh (Feb 13, 2012–)
• Bashir Hayford (Jan 1, 2013 – )

Farmteam

Royal Knight F.C. is a Division Two League football club based in Nsawam, Eastern region and is also operating as a reserve team for Ashanti Gold SC.

References

1. "Ashanti Gold SC". mtnfootball.com. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
2. ashantigold-sc. "AshantiGold SC Squad". Ashanti Gold SC.

External links

• Official site