Tag: Girls Play Sports

Community Action Through Sports (CATS) Ladies yesterday won  the  Southern Finals of the inaugural Girls Play Sports Football Tournament held at the New Maracana Stadium in Ajegunle, Lagos.

CATS Ladies delivered an outstanding performance, starting with a 4-0 demolition of Adewale Babes, asserting their dominance from the outset. In their second game, the Lagos-based amateur outfit played out a thrilling 1-1 draw with Royaltoms Queens, holding strong despite a late equalizer from the Queens.

Adewale Babes, after suffering their initial defeat, bounced back in their final match, securing a 2-1 victory over Royaltoms Queens in a gripping contest.

In the final standings, CATS Ladies finished top of the group with four points, edging Adewale Babes and Royaltoms Queens to the zonal ticket. Royaltoms Queens came in third with a single point after their draw with CATS Ladies.

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As the newly crowned Southern champions, CATS Ladies will now move on to the grand finale on September 29, 2024, in Abuja, where they will face the Northern champions for the ultimate title.

 “With this tournament, we are giving young girls the chance to showcase their talents and inspire the next generation of female footballers,” said Honourable Ayo  Omidiran. “We are proud of the teams that have reached this stage, and we look forward to an exciting final in Abuja.”

With 61 initial entries and southern ticket sealed, attention will be shifted to the northern finals from September 23 to 25 in Abuja, and the stage is set for an exciting conclusion to this ground-breaking tournament.

The Ayomidiran Foundation is thrilled to unveil the revised schedule for its inaugural “Girls Play Sports” Women’s Football Tournament, a groundbreaking initiative aimed at empowering young girls and advancing sports development throughout Nigeria.

 Honourable Ayo Omidiran, CEO of the Ayomidiran Foundation and Chairman of the Organizing Committee shared her enthusiasm about the project, stressing the foundation’s quest to leverage football as a tool for promoting gender equality, reducing social issues, and uniting Nigerian youth.

 “This tournament is more than just a football competition; it’s an opportunity to create pathways and build a brighter future for our young girls,” Omidiran said.

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Endorsed by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), the tournament will feature non-league amateur clubs from across Nigeria. The inaugural tournament is set to run from August 30 to October 1, 2024.

The Southern Zone preliminaries will kick off on September 14, 2024, and run through September 21, 2024, in Ogun, Oyo, Lagos, and Bayelsa States respectively.

Following this, the Northern Zone preliminaries will be held from September 22 to September 28, 2024, in Jos, Ilorin, Abuja, and Gombe. Eight teams from each region will advance to the playoff finals, with the victors progressing to the Grand Finale.

A total of 64 teams will compete in the maiden edition, with 30 teams from the Northern Zone and 34 teams from the Southern Zone. The competition will consist of preliminary rounds and playoffs, culminating in the Grand Finale, scheduled for October 1, 2024, in Abuja.

The Ayomidiran Foundation remains steadfast in its mission to foster youth empowerment and sports development across Nigeria, focusing on unlocking the potential of young girls and offering them a platform to shine on a national stage.

The Ayomidiran Foundation has successfully launched the inaugural “Girls Play Sports” Women’s Football Tournament, a ground-breaking initiative aimed at discovering and promoting sports development among young girls in Nigeria.

Honourable Ayo Omidiran, the C.E.O of Ayomidiran Foundation and Chairman of the Organising Committee, expressed her delight at the launch during a press conference at the NFF Technical Centre in Abuja yesterday.

“This ‘Girls Play Sports’ initiative is set up to promote and empower young girls through the sport of football, aiming to provide a developmental platform, minimize social vices among young girls, and foster unity across Nigeria,” Omidiran, a two-time House of Representative member said. 

“The ‘Girls Play Sports’ Women’s Football Tournament is more than just a tournament; it is a movement aimed at fostering equality, building confidence, encouraging a healthy lifestyle, and providing gainful opportunities through sports among our young girls. By involving grassroots teams from both the North and South of Nigeria, we seek to minimize social vices among young girls and promote a spirit of unity and inclusivity through the love of football. 

“With the support of the Nigeria Football Federation, our partners, and women’s football stakeholders, we aim to create a lasting impact on these young girls’ lives. We are excited about the journey ahead and look forward to witnessing the massive girl-child talent discovery and development that will emerge from this championship.”

Dr. Muhammad Sanusi, the General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation, who also represented the NFF President, hailed the initiative and its alignment with the administration’s agenda for women’s football development, while lauding Mrs. Omidiran for her pivotal role and remarkable contributions in supporting the women’s game.

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“To us at the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), this is a welcome idea. The board of the NFF keys into the FIFA vision of football development with various league programs and a focus on ‘catch them young,’” the NFF scribe said. 

“This is the right step in the right direction. This program will greatly impact the grassroots and help to elevate the standard of women’s football in Nigeria. I will ensure that the Director of the Technical Department and Competitions identifies with this laudable program.”

“We cannot thank the Proprietor of Ayomidiran Foundation enough. It is not surprising that you are doing this because we know that she is one of the pioneers of women’s football in Nigeria. We cannot forget the exploits of Omidiran Babes and the role she played when she was in the National Assembly to ensure peace and harmony in Nigerian football.”

The inaugural championship will run from August 30 to September 30 2024, with eight teams making it to the Northern and Southern playoff finals from the preliminary round in the country’s six geopolitical zones. 

Registration is free and will only open to non-league clubs via the Ayomidiran Foundation website (ayomidiranfoundation.com) from July 24 and will close on August 23. Teams will have one month to train and prepare, with a maximum of 30 players per team. Draws and fixtures will be determined after the registration period ends.