Hearts of Oak FC: A Jewel of African Football

Sam Goffin

19th December 2023 | 1:30 PM

Adorning the southern coast of the Gulf of Guinea is Ghana’s bustling, metropolitan capital: Accra. Home to over 2.5 million, of which 56% are under the age of 24, Accra is becoming ever more cosmopolitan. Museums, libraries, galleries, and skyscrapers are enveloped by dazzling beaches, enjoyed by thousands each day, before a vibrant party scene erupts in the city’s bars and clubs when the sun goes down. Accra also houses a jewel of African football: Hearts of Oak FC. With a storied history stretching back to the pre-independence, colonial era of Ghana, Hearts are one of West Africa’s oldest surviving clubs, and Ghana’s most decorated. 

African football, Ghana Premier League, Hearts of Oak, Asante Kotoko, Phobians, Accra, CAF Champions League
Artwork by Onkar Shirsekar

Originating in 1911, the club was formed by a group of young men from Ussher Town led by Christopher Brandford Nettey, with the same group also acting as the playing squad during these formative years. But due to social and economic uncertainty gripping Ghana at this time, Hearts were forced to wait until 1922 for their first truly competitive action and indeed their first trophy—the year that the governor of the previously named ‘Gold Coast’, Sir Gordon Guggisberg, founded the Accra Football League. 

After winning the inaugural version, Hearts went on to win 6 of the 12 editions of the tournament, which spanned over 30 years before being replaced by the Ghana Premier League (GPL). This competition exists as the nation’s premier footballing event to this day.

A spark becomes a flame

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