Memories: I Led Accra Academy to ‘Silence’ G.S.T.S. -J.E.Sarpong Recollects

At the secondary or the high school level in Ghana and elsewhere, notoriety in college games and sports is celebrated as the power and pride of a school. With great comradery and togetherness, you see the morale blazers rooting for their athletes, all because of school pride, and of course, to avoid the pain of losing that pride should your athlete or school be beaten.

For coach J.E. Sarpong, though Accra Academy placed premium on high academic standards, the institution also focused on grooming talents to compete for excellence in national schools and colleges sports competitions.

“At Accra Academy, our school was based on sports, and we had its easy in [ in competitions in] games and athletics, all depends on the attitude of the P.E. master, if the P.E. master is hostile you don’t get the students to give their best. I played [mingled] with them but I didn’t compromise on [students’] discipline”. – he told Skyy Power FM

J.E. Sarpong, the longest serving sports master of the Accra Academy, recounted how he led his college athletics team to Takoradi to ‘silence’ Ghana Secondary Technical School (G.S.T.S.)

-We even came to Takoradi to silence GSTS, I [Accra Academy] had powerful athletes then including John Myles Mills aka ‘Babylonia’, Ninya Gbadegbeku, Opinta, Dayi, Randy Stone, Shapori, etc, we had the squad, so from then my interest developed in the students in Accra Academy”, the 71-year-old retiree narrated on the Takoradi based network.

Accra Academy is noted for excellence in sports, having produced many distinguishing sports personalities and national stars including Princeton Owusu Ansah, Prince Amoako, Owusu Afriyie, Lee Addy, Godfred Aduobe, Leo Myles Mills and Asamoah Gyan.