Football (known as soccer in the United States) was introduced in the 1930s and ping pong in 1949. The first
Lagos National Theatre. ()
sports stadium was built in 1930 and six years later named after King George V; between 1963 and 1973, it became known as the Lagos City Stadium. The Onikan Stadium, which replaced it, was opened for football and cultural activities in the 1980s. The Racecourse at Tafawa Balewa Square is underutilized. The National Stadium was built in 1976 in Surulere on the Mainland; its sitting capacity is estimated at between 80,000 and 100,000. Smaller facilities are scattered around Greater Lagos, for example in Agége and in premises owned by large commercial ventures. In the city, as elsewhere, the average secondary school is almost certain to have some facilities for athletics and at least football, the game Nigerians love above anything else. Lagos has been the main venue for several sports fiestas, among them the Second All African Games held in 1972 and the African Cup of Nations Cup tournament, co-hosted with Ghana and concluded in February 2000.
