Offa claims volleyball gold
Isin Local Government has emerged champions of the football event of the Kwara Governor’s Cup/First Lady football tournament after defeating Ilorin West Local Government 4-3 on penalties following a goalless draw in regulation time.
Oyun LG earlier defeated Ilorin South by a lone goal to win the third place prize.
The twin event competition, which accommodated volleyball and football, was organised by the Future Field Team in conjunction with the Kwara State Sports Commission, and featured 12 Local Government Area teams from across the state.
In the volleyball event, Offa defeated Oke-Ero by three straight sets, while Irepodun outplayed Asa by two straight sets.
Speaking after the final, the Executive Chairman of the Kwara State Sports Commission, Mallam Bolakale Adisa Mogaji, stressed the importance of returning to grassroots sports development to discover and nurture talented athletes capable of representing Kwara State and Nigeria.
Mallam Mogaji described Isin Local Government’s triumph as proof that sporting talents abound across the state, noting that the victory of a team from Isin over teams from the Ilorin metropolis demonstrated the need to expand talent discovery beyond the state capital.
“Imagine a team coming from Isin Local Government to win the trophy here in Ilorin, where we have Ilorin West, Ilorin East and Ilorin South with several football teams. It shows that talents are everywhere, and without competitions like this, we may never discover them,” he said.
The Sports Commission Chairman also announced a scholarship opportunity for Ìsìn team’s defender, Moses Iyanu at the Kwara Football Academy (KFA), describing the player as one with immense potential deserving of further development.
“I personally announced that Moses Iyanu of the Isin team should receive a scholarship at the Kwara Football Academy because of his outstanding performance and the great potential I saw in him,” he added.
Mallam Magaji commended Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for his unwavering support for sports development in the state, highlighting the growing number of Kwara athletes representing Nigeria in international competitions.
He noted that three of the eight players in Nigeria’s recent team to Canada were from Kwara State, while six members of the Nigerian scrabble team travelling to Kenya were sponsored by the Kwara State Government.
According to him, sports development in the state has witnessed remarkable progress under the present administration, expressing hope that the Governor’s successor would also prioritise sports.
The Sports Commission Chairman equally applauded the organisers of the tournament for successfully staging the maiden edition, urging them to address the few shortcomings observed and build on the success in future editions.
The Executive Chairman of Ìsìn Local Government Area, Hon. Benjamin Jolayemi Olanrewaju commended the players for winning the football event, as a justification for the Council’s commitment to sports development at the grassroots, adding that ‘Ìsìn is for sports’
He pledged to continue to do more for sports and youths in his Local Government.
The President and the Executive Director of Future Field Team, Prince Peter Johnson said that oy two events were selected for the first edition, as they plan to accommodate more events in subsequent editions.
He added that Future Field Team is a Non-governmental Organization which is founded for the discovery of raw talents in sports and socio-cultural activities, as well as in educational skills and acquisition.
The Director of Project and Programmes, Engr. Godwin Adejoh said that the initiative was to support sports development, especially from the grassroots.
The Owner and Founder of AbreySports Football Academy, Mallam Yusuf Abdullahi Adekunle described the initiative as laudable, pointing out that Nigeria is blessed with abundant talents, waiting for opportunities to be discovered.
Ìsìn LG team Coach, Seyi Oyinloye said that they benefitted from adequate preparation, determination and the motivation of Ìsìn Local Government Area, Hon. Benjamin Jolayemi Olanrewaju. He commended the Chairman, other officials of the team and the players, for their sacrifice.
Present at the ocassion are Chief Lérè Balogun, who is the Education Secretary of Ìsìn Local Government, Mallam Ademola Kiyesola of Kwara YSFON, Mallam Tunde Kazeem, Engr. Abdullateef Adebimpe Ìdíàgbọn, the Director, Monitoring and Evaluation, SUBEB, Alhaji Mahmood Yusuf, Education Secretary, Ilorin West, and host of others.
