Sports
Elegbeleye Commends Organiser Of Sheroes Competition
The Chairman of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), Gbenga Elegbeleye, has commended the quality of organisation of the ongoing 2023 Sheroes Cup in Abuja, saying it will help teams fine tune preparation ahead of the new season.
Elegbeleye who was a special guest last Monday at the 2023 Sheroes Cup competition held at the Area 3 Astro turf football pitch, said the competition has grown to become the forerunner to the commencement of every NWFL season.
The NPFL boss said the professional organisation of the competition will serve as a good tune-up for all stakeholders, ahead of the November 15 kick-off of the 2023/2024 Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL) season.
“I am really very impressed with the way the tournament is organised. I can see professional referees, `and these are referees that actually officiate in the NWFL.
“To me, it’s another pre-season tune up for even the referees, apart from the various participating teams. This is the best way to prepare for the November kick-off of the upcoming NWFL Premier League,” Elegbeleye said.
He said he was on ground to show solidarity with the organiser of the competition, Paul Edeh, President, Ratels Sports Development Foundation (RSDF) for his steadfastness and continued support for the development of women football in Nigeria.
“I am here as a mark of solidarity to a friend that has invested a lot in women football in Nigeria and also chairman of a state FA (Benue) who is gradually doing well amongst his peers.
“I feel we should continue to encourage people who are doing this, because they are very few in the country.
“I am very sure that the sponsor of this competition is not making any money, but he is spending so much from his personal earnings to keep this afloat. This is the kind of character the Nigerian football needs to grow, this is very lovely and I’m sure other spirited Nigerians will emulate what you are doing to help women football,” he said.
The football administrator said the annual competition could also serve as a veritable platform to discover and harness young budding talents for the various national women teams such the Flamingoes, Falconets and even the Super Falcons of Nigeria.
Hon Dike who spoke with sports journalists shortly after the flag off the 2024 edition of Chairman’s Football Unity Tournament at Botem Tai in Tai LGA, said the tournament is an annual event to promote peace and unity in Tai as well identify budding talents in the area for global competition.
The opening ceremony of the tournament was more like a carnival was witnessed by huge crowd including prominent indigenes of Ogoni Kingdom, sports lovers and people from all works of life.
The LGA boss revealed that special sports committee will be setup in the area to work out modalities to strengthen sports development in Tai.
He advised the participants in the tournament from various wards in the LGA to play the game by the rules and conduct themselves in a peaceful and orderly manner and use the opportunity to showcase their talents.
Hon Dike further disclosed that his administration will also give priority attention to skills development among the youth to enhance their human capacity and promote enterprise development in the area.
Earlier in his address the Chairman of Tai LGA Football Council, Elder Wisdom Gorgor said the annual football competition has been a unifying factor in Tai LGA that need to be sustained to forge more unity and development in the area.
He urged the participants to see the competition as an opportunity to embrace football as a full career and earn sustainable livelihood.
Elder Gorgor who commended the Chairman of Tai LGA, Hon Dike for his visionary leadership and tremendous development achievements recorded in the LGA under his administration, appealled to the Chairman to build a Mini Sports Stadium in the area to promote sporting activities.
The training was held at the Sani Abacha Stadium Indoor Basketball Court in Kano last Saturday.
According to the Vice President and Head of NBA Nigeria, Gbemisola Abudu, the event was part of the league’s commitment to growing broader basketball ecosystem in Nigeria and making the game more accessible across the country.
“Our first Jr. NBA clinic in Kano speaks to our commitment to growing the game in Nigeria and creating more opportunities for boys and girls to learn and play the game,” Abudu said.
“Nigeria has a rich basketball history and abundance of talent, which is evident every time you watch an NBA game. We look forward to continuing to engage with basketball stakeholders, business leaders and members of the community to further the game’s reach and impact on young people around the country,” she added.
The 2024 basketball initiative clinics of NBA Nigeria also included the league’s inaugural Jr. NBA elite camp for 150 boys and age-16 girls held at the American International School in Lagos in July.
Others include the NBA’s building of 1,000 courts in Africa over the next decade, Nigeria’s Festival Coins and Salubata named the top two winning businesses at NBA Africa Triple-Double Accelerator’s inaugural Demo Day in New York City held last September, and the third edition of “NBA Meets Art,” a curated installation celebrating basketball through the lens of Nigerian art and culture as part of West Africa’s premier art fair Art X Lagos, held in November.
Central to this vision is the federation’s investment in capacity building, evident in the just-concluded one-week Level 1 Badminton World Federation (BWF) Coaching Course, which marked a significant milestone for Nigerian badminton.
Held in Abuja, the course brought together 13 young coaches from across Nigeria. The last time such a course was held in the country was in 2017, making this a historic and transformative step.
The training was facilitated by the Badminton Confederation of Africa (BCA) in partnership with the Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN) and conducted by Dr. Ahmed Radah, the BCA Development Manager.
Radah, impressed by the talent he witnessed, praised Nigeria’s potential.
“Nigeria is blessed with immense talent and a strong badminton tradition. I believe this country has what it takes to dominate on the global stage,” he remarked.
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