The UAC Stadium in Surulere was the venue of many epic Principals Cup finals and Ramat Cup competitions in the 1970s and early 1980s. The Principals Cup was the competition between teams of male secondary schools in Lagos. It was a big deal in the 1970s and early 1980s. Matches were broadcast live on Radio Nigeria and teams seemed to represent more than their schools, they represented the communities that the schools were in.
The CMS Grammar School team (Bariga Bombers) were like the national team of Bariga, the St Finbarr's team were the national team of Akoka, the St Gregory's team was the national team of Obalende, etc. The Ramat Cup (which was named after General Murtala Ramat Muhammad) was organised by the Youth Sports Federation of Nigeria (YSFON) and it was used to discover players for the national under 21 and under 16 teams.
UAC Stadium was demolished in the mid-1980s and a new and bigger stadium was to be built on the site. It was to be called the Teslim Balogun Stadium. Construction of the Teslim Balogun Stadium began in 1987, during the administration of Governor Mike Akhigbe. However, the project stalled soon after due to the economic crisis of the 1980s. It was abandoned for decades. The project was revived by the administration of Governor Bola Tinubu.
It was completed and commissioned in 2007, just before Tinubu handed over to Fashola. A lot of the facilities and design of the stadium are outdated. What is happening right now is an upgrade to bring it into the modern era. For example, only the State Box was covered originally. Now they are converting it into an all-covered stadium. There were no hospitality suites. Now hospitality suites are being created.
It had no facade, but now a facade is being put in place. The flood lights were on poles that were outside the stadium, now they will be on the roof. Basically it was a 1987 type stadium and it is being converted into a 2026 type stadium. However critics have complained about the slow pace of work. The project started in 2024 and it has still not been completed. The government says that it will soon be completed and that it will host the Intermediate Games this month (September 2026).
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu inspected the site a few weeks ago and he has promised that it will be completed on time. This video of the stadium was shot five days ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZ1bbE6eFlQ Photos of the stadium from 5 days ago.
