Hearts of Oak @110: Find out how the club was formed

On this day 11 November 1911 (Exactly 109 years ago) Accra Hearts of Oak was born at Ussher Town 110 years ago.

Football was introduced into Ghana at the turn of the 20th century. In 1910, the first football club was formed in Accra.

The name chosen was The Invincibles and the club comprised mainly young men from the James Town area.

The need for a rival club was soon evident and the response to this was the birth of what now stands as the oldest surviving club and still one of the most outstanding clubs in the country’s history, Accra Hearts of Oak.

Hearts of Oak actually began in the middle of 1910 when young men from Ussher Town started practicing with a tennis ball.

Towards the end of the year, a young man from Saltpond, where the game had been played earlier, came to Accra and took up the training of the players. His name was Akom Duncan. By 1911, Hearts of Oak, with Mr Akom Duncan as their captain, were ready to take on the Invincibles.

The most memorable date for Hearts of Oak, in this period, was November 11, 1911 which has become the anniversary of the formation of the club. This was the date on which Hearts of Oak out-doored with jerseys and formally bound themselves into the giant club it was to be.

The outdooring ceremony was conducted with tradition. All the players met at the home of a Captain Mark Nettey at Ussher Town. From there, they moved to the Korle Lagoon at the Old Fadama Railway Crossing, bathed in the Lagoon for some minutes and then put on the jerseys.

All dressed up in their jerseys, they marched to an open space nearby (where now the Royal Cinema stands) and put up two posts. Hearts not only had their jerseys but also a park on which to train and play.

No officers were elected for the club. All the members were players and they all accepted the leadership of Akom Duncan.