22 Schools Set To Battle In Gregory Imafidon Foundation Youth Football Championship

LUCKY A. LAWAL

The ground is set for youths in 22 different schools in Benin City, who are qualified to participate in the upcoming 4th edition of the Gregory Imafidon Foundation Youth Football Championship, which is slated to kick off in Edo State, Nigeria.

The championship, which is billed to hold from 24th March  to 1st April, 2021, at the Garik School field along Ekenwa Road, Benin City, will have twenty two secondary schools  participating for the gold cup, scholarships and other prizes. 

Speaking to Journalists about the coming event, Mr. Gregory Imafidon, the founder and sponsor of the tournament, an Edo State-born, also an ex-youth footballer and practicing Family Nurse based in Dallas, Texas, USA, said the 4th edition of the football tournament tagged “Catch them young, kick against crime”, will go a long way in reviving school sports in Edo State as well as checking vices like cultism in secondary schools. 

Mr. Imafidon said, “The aim of this tournament is to bring back school sports in Edo State, engage these children  meaningfully to help reduce the rate of crimes like cultism. On behalf of the vulnerable people in Edo State, I say thank you to all who have seen the need to make Edo State a better and a crime-free State by contributing towards the success of this move. We cannot afford to lose any more youth to crime. The lives of our youth are valuable”.

He added that aside the gold cup for the winning school, other prizes to be won included a golden ball with cash prize for the best player, cash prize for highest goal scorer, best behaved or disciplined school, best goalkeeper, best defender and best midfielder.

It can be recalled that previous editions, which targeted youth clubs, saw young footballers  from Edo, Delta, Rivers, Cross Rivers, Akwa-Ibom, Oyo, Ondo, Ogun, Osun, Anambra, Imo, and Abia States going home with scholarships, cash, jerseys among other incentives to boost their education and personal development. 

Mr. Imafidon urged other well meaning sons and daughters of Edo State at home and abroad to key into the initiative with their support.

“In our bid to contribute our quota to help reduce the crime rate in Edo State, we are requesting sponsors and donation from groups and individuals, who are willing to help and positively touch the lives of our youth through empowerment and scholarship donation. Nothing is too small” he said. 

It would be recalled that two outstanding players, Emeka Utomi of Ine Stars FC and Efe Ugiagbe of Unique FC were given scholarship during the previous edition in 2018/2019  by Mr. Imafidon and another ex-youth footballer, Nosa Odiase, who is based in Sweden.