History of the Ghana Premier League, teams, and list of winners since 1920
The Ghana Premier League is renowned in the African continent. The reason is that the tournament has produced some of the best talents in the Ghana national team. But aside from its fame, how much history do you know about the league? Find out all the information about the teams that have been crowned champions since the league's inception.
Source: Twitter
The Ghana Premier League is the top professional division of the football league system in Ghana. The country's Football Association is in charge of the competition and runs and organizes all affairs.
History of the Ghana Premier League
Football has been a loved sport in Africa even before the creation of football tournaments. Ghana is no exception, and the country has a rich history in football. The first organized competition in the country was the Accra Football League, which featured the best teams from all over the country.
The league was formed in 1920 by Sir Gordon Guggisberg, the then governor of Ghana, then known as Gold Coast. The Accra Football League ran from 1920 until 1956 when stakeholders created the Ghana Premier League.
The league's inception was not met with jubilation from all quarters, as teams from the Ashanti region boycotted the creation. Yet, the other teams played on, and Hearts of Oak were declared the champions that year.
In 1957, there was no winner due to the challenges that faced the newly formed league. But in 1958, the games resumed, and the defending champions won the tournament. Again, Hearts of Oak were the winners, becoming the first GPL back to back winners.
Ghana Premier League teams
How many teams are in the GPL table? The top division comprises eighteen league teams. Here are the teams participating in the 2021-22 season below:
- Accra Lions
- Aduana Stars
- Asante Kotoko
- Ashanti Gold
- Bechem United
- Berekum Chelsea
- Bibiani Gold Stars
- Dreams
- Eleven Wonders
- Elmina Sharks
- Great Olympics
- Hearts of Oak
- Karela United
- King Faisal
- Legon Cities
- Medeama
- RTU
- WAFA
Ghana Premier League winners list
Source: Twitter
Due to the competitive nature of the national league, not many teams have had the privilege of lifting the coveted trophy. The defending champions are the Accra Hearts of Oak, who won the 2020/2021 season.
So, who else has had the privilege of being crowned champion? Well, below is a list of all the champions since the leagues' inception in 1920:
- Hearts of Oak - Winners from 1920 to 1954 (Accra Football League)
- Hearts of Oak (1956)
- Hearts of Oak (1958)
- Asante Kotoko (1959)
- Eleven Wise (1960)
- Hearts of Oak (1961/62)
- Real Republicans (1962/63)
- Asante Kotoko (1963/64)
- Asante Kotoko (1964/65)
- Mysterious Dwarves (1966)
- Asante Kotoko (1967/68)
- Asante Kotoko (1969)
- Great Olympics (1970)
- Hearts of Oak (1971)
- Asante Kotoko (1972)
- Hearts of Oak (1973)
- Great Olympics (1974)
- Asante Kotoko (1975)
- Hearts of Oak (1976)
- Sekondi Hasaacas (1977)
- Hearts of Oak (1978)
- Hearts of Oaks (1979)
- Asante Kotoko (1980/81)
- Asante Kotoko (1982/83)
- Hearts of Oak (1984)
- Hearts of Oak (1985)
- Asante Kotoko (1986/87)
- Asante Kotoko (1988/89)
- Hearts of Oak (1989/90)
- Asante Kotoko (1990/91)
- Asante Kotoko (1991/92)
- Asante Kotoko (1992/93)
- Goldfields (1993/94)
- Goldfields (1994/95)
- Goldfields (1995/96)
- Hearts of Oak (1996/97)
- Hearts of Oak (1997/98)
- Hearts of Oak (1998/99)
- Hearts of Oak (1999/2000)
- Hearts of Oak (2000/01)
- Hearts of Oak (2001/02)
- Asante Kotoko (2002/03)
- Hearts of Oak (2004/05)
- Asante Kotoko (2005/06)
- Hearts of Oak (2006/07)
- Asante Kotoko (2007/08)
- Hearts of Oak (2008/09)
- Aduana Stars (2009/10)
- Berekum Chelsea (2010/11)
- Asante Kotoko (2011/12)
- Asante Kotoko (2012/13)
- Asante Kotoko (2013/14)
- Ashanti Gold (2014/15)
- Wa All Stars (2016)
- Aduana Stars (2017)
- No winner (2018) - League abandoned
- Asante Kotoko (2019) - GFA Normalization Committee Competition
- No winner (2019/20) - Abandoned due to Covid-19.
- Hearts of Oak (2020/21)
How many times has Kotoko won the Ghana Premier League?
Source: Instagram
The team has won the GPL 24 times. In addition, Asante Kotoko has been crowned as the African club of the century by the International Football Federation and Statistics. Apart from the Premier League, the Porcupine Warriors has won the CAF Champions League twice.
When will the Ghana Premier League start?
The 66th season of the GPL starts on the 29th of October 2021. Fans are eager for the tournament to begin with the defending champions getting ready to defend the title.
So, are the Ghana Premier League fixtures out? Well, the 2021/2022 season will begin with the teams below:
- Accra Lions vs Elmina Sharks - 30.10. 17:00
- Bechem United vs Medeama - 30.10. 17:00
- Bibiani Gold Stars vs Berekum Chelsea - 30.10. 17:00
- Dreams vs Asante Kotoko - 30.10. 17:00
- Eleven Wonders vs Ashanti - 30.10. 17:00
- Hearts of Oak vs Legon Cities - 30.10. 17:00
- Karela vs Aduana Stars - 30.10. 17:00
- King Faisal vs WAFA - 30.10. 17:00
- Real Tamale vs Great Olympics - 30.10. 17:00
If you are interested in the Ghana Premier League live scores, then the football streaming websites will offer you real-time updates on the games. In addition, these platforms provide Ghana Premier League results and other information about your favourite teams.
Who is the highest-paid footballer in the Ghana Premier League?
Professional players in the GPL are paid every month. But if you want to find out the highest-paid player, you will need to calculate the total annual salary. According to Ghanasoccernet, the highest-earning player is Victorien Adebayor.
He earns an annual salary of GHc 83,376. Victorien Adebayor plays for the International Allies, a Tema based team from the Greater Accra region.
The Ghana Premier League is, without a doubt, one of the best tournaments on the continent. Some of the famous players from Ghana have passed through the league. Unfortunately, the competition has had rough times, from the boycott of 1957 to the match-fixing scandal of 2018. Nevertheless, the GPL has remained strong.
Yen.com.gh recently published an interesting article about Ghanaian football players in Spain. Ghana has a large number of footballers who play in Spain. But can you guess the exact number? Find out who these players are and the clubs they play for.
Ghanaian football players in Spain are among the best Africa has to offer. Find out everything about these homegrown talents and how long they have been abroad.
Source: YEN.com.gh
