Football in the Gambia
Football in The Gambia has a high priority; next to athletes, it is the professional football players that are committed in various club teams around the world, as well as the national team of the West African country Gambia that are perceived internationally in sport.
Organization
The Gambia Football Association is the umbrella organization of 51 associations and directed the GFA League First Division, the GFA League Second Division and the GFA Cup. In addition, she is responsible for the Gambian national football team.
In Gambia, there are about 68,000 football players, of which 4,530 are registered with FIFA.
National football team
The national football team ( called The Scorpions ) is currently in the FIFA world rankings to 90th place (as of September 2008) and at the continental level ( CAF ) ranks 26th for the Football World Cup 2006, the team was defeated in the first qualifying round against the team from Liberia and could not qualify it.
The U20 team, however, qualified for the Junior World Championships. There, the team was able to make a place in the knockout stages of the U-20 World Cup in Canada perfect where it is, however, Austria with 1:2 ( on 9 July 2007 by a 2-1 (1-1 ) victory over the Portuguese team 0: was defeated 1).
In 2005, the Under-17 team against Ghana to win the African Cup of Nations for themselves. When held in the same year U-17 World Cup, they defeated the reigning U17 world champion, the Brazilian Under-17 team, but did not due to goal difference to the quarterfinals.
History
In 1940, the history of football in the Gambia, the British colony until 1965, began with the " Bathurst League in 1940 ," the first championship with seven teams from Bathurst, as the capital Banjul was at that time. The first championship was started, among others, with the Augustians Bathurst, who were successful in the 1960s.
1952, the first cup competition was held. in the final the Gambia United contrasted with the Augustians Bathurst. The final match, which was held on July 5 at the Box Bar Stadium, won the Gambia United 2-1.
For the 1954/54 season the second division was created and at the beginning of the 1967/68 season the number of teams was increased in the first division to eight.
On November 30, 1969, the first football game was broadcast live on the radio commented. It was the final of the GFA Cup between Real de Banjul Football Club and the White Phantoms.
At the beginning of the season 1974/75 the number of teams was increased in the top league to eleven, but in the following season the number of teams was taken back to six.
Before the construction of the National Stadium was created in the early 1980s as Independence Stadium in Bakau, was used as the National Stadium Box Bar Stadium in Banjul. The first game in the Independence Stadium, in SS Ceesay Trophy Final was held on 13 November 1984. It took place between Banjul Hawks Football Club against the Starlight Gunners.
In the 1988/89 season there were numerous financial problems, three teams left the league - which the entire host the championship was canceled.
2008, the number of clubs in the GFA League First Division was increased from ten to twelve.
Wallidan Banjul, the most successful team succeed in 2008, the double of the profits of the championship and the Cup as the first in history.
Sports facilities
In the near Banjul there are a large stadium, which can hold 40,000 spectators. The 29- million-euro Independence Stadium was built by the Chinese in the context of a development aid project. This National Stadium is also used for cultural events.