On Saturday, 28th June, 2025, baseball enthusiasts gathered at a park in the suburb of Labone, Accra, to watch the new season of Ghanaian baseball kick off.
Two local teams, the Tema Tigers and the Tema Giants, were all suited up in their baseball jerseys and trousers, ready to duel in their first matchup at the Koshien Field.
The inaugural game was attended by dignitaries, including Norma Sanchez, the Mexican ambassador to Ghana, the Ghana Olympic Committee, Richard Akpokavie, and Albert Frimpong, president of the Ghana Baseball and Softball Federation (GBSF).
In a country where attention is paid mostly to football, the sport of baseball has been slowly gathering steam, with the current league comprising four professional teams.
Building The Platform for Baseball Growth
As mentioned before, Baseball in Ghana has been steadily gaining traction.
The Ghanaian diaspora communities and U.S. organizations started funding equipment and coaching programs throughout the years, helping the sport to pick up.
The sport has also been getting major support from the Japanese community.
In 2022, a collaboration between the GBSF and Japan Baseball Softball Foundation (J-ABS) kick-started a three-year partnership to boost the Baseball discipline in Ghana.
The ‘’Baseballership Education Program’’ focused on character development and life skills through Baseball, with a curriculum built on fifty-five core principles.
In 2024, 10 volunteer coaches from KEIO University in Japan arrived in Accra to help implement the third phase of the Education Program in some selected schools and communities.
Speaking at the launch of the new baseball season at Koshien Park, Mr. Frimpong, president of the Ghana Baseball and Softball Federation, recounted the early struggles of the federation to build up the sport.
He acknowledged the gradual growth of the sport in local communities and schools across the country.
One of the biggest achievements for the sports has been its youth baseball and softball teams.
Earlier this year, in January, the baseball and softball youth team, the Golden Palms, were crowned champions at the Africa Baseball Youth Championship after beating Kenya in the finals in Cape Town, South Africa.
2025 Baseball5 World Cup, Olympics, and Future of Baseball
By securing a win in January, Ghana secured a spot in the WBSC Youth Baseball5 World Cup 2025, scheduled for later this year in Mexico.
The tournament will serve as a qualifier for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympics.
There is an opportunity for Ghana to compete in the senior tournament, the WBSC Baseball5 World Cup 2026 in Italy.
Although some resources and sponsorship have been put into the sport, there is still more opportunity for the league to grow.
More investment is needed for infrastructure, including baseball fields, as well as securing more equipment, including baseball bats and gloves for players.
On the baseball field in Labone, the competing teams showed a level of professionalism and wide knowledge of the rules of baseball.
The Tema Tigers put up a dominant performance, scoring 12 runs against the Giants one run, to win in a shortened game of five innings (the full length of Baseball is 12 innings).
The next game is scheduled for July and will run till the end of December 2025.
