Seven-time champion, International School, Lagos (ISL) as well as defending champion, Airforce Secondary School and six others have qualified for the quarterfinal stage of the annual Doregos Basketball championships.
The tournament which is it 13th edition will also have Effortswill School, Ronik College, Regal and Avi-Cenna and Kings’ College slugging it out for places in the last four of the championship.
In the girls’ event, host – Doregos will be aiming for the title which they narrowly lost missed up from making it to the final last year while defending champion, Greensprings School, Regal College, Effortswill, Solid Rock, Queens College, Avi-Cenna and Airforce completed the list of teams that made it to the quarterfinal round.
The quarterfinal matches hold on November 19 where the semifinalists will emerge for the competition.
Also, Coach of ISL, Ijeomah Ernest believes they are capable of holding reclaiming the title this year while other teams have vowed to halt ISL’s dominance of the boys’ event.
“I think we are still in the right form to hold on to the title. We are basketball playing school and we have consistently shown this in all our performance even to the national level. We hardly boast before the competition and we only do our talking in the court,” Ernest said.
Tag: Greensprings
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Doregos Basketball tournament hits quarterfinal
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Greensprings, QC win GTBank Masters Cup
Greensprings School, Lagos, is the surprise winner of the 2016 Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) Masters Cup, beating tournament favourites, St Gregory’s College, 3-1 in the final.
President, Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick, and the Managing Director, GTBank, Segun Agbaje, watched how the Lekki boys, led by talisman captain, Elvis Onyenze, whipped their opponents at the Onikan Stadium, Lagos.
It was the first time Greensprings would feature in the tournament and were rewarded with a giant trophy as well as N750,000.
Kings’ College came third in the competition after defeating Chrisland College, 2-1 in the third place match.
In the girls’ final Queen’s College, Yaba, successfully defended the trophy, which they won for the fourth time in a row (the only team to do so).
The team from the 89-year old school retained the cup after beating the Federal Science and Technical College (FSTC) team 4-0.
Explaining the bank’s involvement in the competition, Agbaje said: “Sports and education are fundamental in fostering camaraderie and discipline amongst youths and imperative to their development. We are therefore proud to be pioneers of this initiative that provides an avenue for students to showcase their talents and passion in football and stay in school.”
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5th Greensprings Kanu Football Camp kicks off
The fifth edition of the annual Greensprings Kanu Football Camp kicks off today at the Lekki campus of the school.
With support from the Lagos State Football Association as well as the presence of coaches from Netherlands and England, hundreds of youngsters are expected to be part of the one-week clinic.
According to the consultant on sports of Greensprings School, Oluseyi Oyebode, a top female coach from West Bromwich Albion will handle the female students at this year’s exercise in a bid to encourage female athletes to embrace football.
“In our usual manner, we would not want the foreign coaches to come and go but we want them to tutor our local coaches so they can also replicate this knowledge in their various locations across the country. This is what prompted the two-day coaching course concluded before the commencement of the camp today.
“Some of the coaches will also put to action what they have learnt during the training when the camping of the students commence. The stage is set as all arrangements have been concluded to stage another befitting clinic that will continue to add to the quality of Nigerian football at grassroots level,” Oyebode said.
On the support from the Lagos FA, he said: “We are overwhelmed by the support we have been getting particularly coming from the NFF Vice President and Lagos FA boss, Seyi Akinwunmi as well as Emzor, a company has decided to come on board to show their unflinching support to sports development through the sponsoring of 12 students to the camp. However, female footballers will be giving more prominence this year due to the presence of the West Bromwich female coach. We are still hoping that more corporate bodies will identify with the camp,” he said.
In line with its usual gesture, the management of Greensprings will sponsor 10 students to the camp being part of their social responsibility.
The serene environment that hosts the camp has become the talking point among football followers while more students across the country are eager to be part of the camp this year.
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Greensprings, Kanu Foundation trains future footballers
Greensprings School has opened its Lekki campus gates to primary and secondary school pupils within the ages of five to 17 for the annual Greensprings/KanuFootball Camp on Sunday.
The camp, which is in its fourth edition, will last for one week during which participants will be coached by coaches from Netherlands and England.
Greensprings’ Head of Sports, Oluseyi Oyebode, assured parents of security during the camp.
“We want to assure every participant and parents that the camp will open from noon on Sunday. Adequate security has been in place for all participants while the atmosphere is also conducive for the camp this year,” Oyebode said.
He noted that the foreign coaches from the English Premiership and Dutch leagues will manage the training with the assistance of indigenous coaches. This year’s camp promises to be exciting as the clinic coincides with the school’s 30th anniversary.
The Director of Education, Greensprings School, Harry McFaul, said there is more sponsorship for children to participate in the camp this year. He added that the school will also hold a day clinic in downtown Abesan, a Lagos suburb, with a bid to identify new talents among school-aged children.
“The camp will be larger offering more opportunities to potential football stars from all over Nigeria. We have had enquiries from farther afield than ever before with large numbers of sponsored places offered to boys and girls, who have potential, but maybe not the financial means to attend. In furtherance of Greensprings’ corporate social responsibility, there will be an outreach programme in Abesan Community, Lagos where Kanu Nwankwo will lead all the foreign coaches and their Nigerian counterparts on a day football clinic for residents in the area. What makes this year’s event unique is that there will be more time allocated to coaching and training of coaches so that even more people will ultimately benefit from the camp in the longer term,” McFaul said.
McFaul said the camp has added value to the lives of many talented children.
“The camp has grown in popularity and success over the years and many students have blossomed as a result of being at the camp. In recent years a number of players were spotted and offered scholarships at Greensprings where they have been highly successful academically as well as on the football pitch. Some have been fortunate enough to gain places at football academies in England after attending the camp. There is a lot of excitement and anticipation surrounding the camp this year and we pray for a great time of fun and fulfilment for all who attend,” he said.
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Registration for Greensprings/ Kanu Football Camp begins
Registration for the season four of the annual Greensprings/Kanu Football Camp has commenced across the country.
According to the organisers, students who will like to be part of the one-week camping can now register online on www.greenspringskanufootballcamp.org.
The Director of Education, Greensprings School, Harry McFaul, said this year’s camp would be unique as over 500 participants and 80 coaches are expected to be part of the one-week exercise holding at the Lekki Campus of Greensprings.
“What makes this year’s event unique is that there will be more time allocated to coaching and training of coaches so that even more people will ultimately benefit from the camp in the longer term. The camp will be larger offering more opportunities to potential football stars from across Nigeria. We have had enquiries from farther afield than ever before with large numbers of sponsored places offered to boys and girls who have potential – but maybe not the financial means to attend. In furtherance of Greensprings’ corporate social responsibility, there will be an outreach programme in Abesan Community, Lagos where Kanu Nwankwo will lead all the foreign coaches and their Nigerian counterparts in a one-day football clinic for residents in the area,” McFaul said.
He added that the coaches would be drawn from England and Netherlands including Nigerian coaches.
“There will be specialist coaches from the UK, Holland and Nigeria. These coaches are trained in coaching young players to bring out the best in them, using methods that can be adapted and used long after they have gone back to Europe,” he added.
Being the 30th anniversary of the school, McFaul promises that it would be an exciting moment for the participants.
His words: “The camp has grown in popularity and success over the years and many students have blossomed as a result of being at the camp. In recent years a number of players were spotted and offered scholarships at Greensprings where they have been highly successful academically as well as on the football pitch. Some have been fortunate enough to gain places at football academies in England after attending the camp. There is a lot of excitement and anticipation surrounding the camp this year and we pray for a great time of fun and fulfilment for all who attend.”
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Greensprings for zonal finals in Ibadan
The efforts of the management of Greensprings School to lift football at grassroots level have started yielding positive result as the school team at the weekend emerged as winner of the Lagos qualifiers of the maiden Etisalat U-15 National Championship.
The school being only private school in the Lagos qualifiers competed against five public schools in the state.
The giant stride made by the school within and outside the country prompted the Lagos State Football Association (LSFA) to pick the school as education district three flagbearer.
The six districts in the state were represented by a team each while all the six teams were drawn into two groups of three teams in each group.
Greensprings-inspired by its talisman, Musa Alli were drawn in same group with Gbaja High School, Surulere and Kuje Junior High School, Ajegunle.
But in their first group match against Gbaja High School, Greensprings were merciless against the Surulere team as they walloped them 11-1 to send warning signal to Kuje boys.
Just they did in the first match, they were ruthless in the second group game against Kuje as they pounded them 18-0 to berth in the final.
In the final match against Yewa High School, Agege, dignitaries from the Lagos State Ministry of Youth, Sports and Social Development led by Permanent Secretary, Oluseyi Whenu as well as the state director of sports, Kweku Tandoh were at the Agege Stadium to witness the encounter.
To the chagrin of the dignitaries, the match turned out to be one-sided as Greensprings dominated proceedings thrashing Yewa boys 10-0 to emerge as the state’s representative at the zonal final scheduled for Ibadan, the Oyo State capital this month.
In the zonal finals, Greensprings as Lagos’ representative will compete against state champions from Oyo, Ogun, Ondo, Ekiti and Osun to decide the eventual winner from the zone. The winner from the zone will compete in the national finals.
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Nigerian Sports Award: Nomination excites Greensprings
For its genuine commitment to grassroots sports development coupled with a robust sporting calendar, Greensprings School has once again been nominated for the school sports award category of the prestigious Nigerian Sports Award.
Announcing the nominees for this year’s award, General Manager, Unmissable Incentives Limited, Kayode Idowu noted that the panel received overwhelming nominations for the 2014 editions of the award from members of the public adding that it was a tough job collating before the selection of the top three nominees for each category.
Greensprings was nominated alongside, Toybat international School, Lagos and St. Barnabas, Ilorin for the school sports award.
Since winning the maiden edition of the award last year, Greensprings has remained committed to sports development with its annual school sports forum as well as the Greensprings Kanu Football Camp, which also produced two scholarship awardees this year.
Toybat School won the last Channels Kids’ Cup while St. Barnabas emerged winner at the Milo Africa U-13 Championship. But Greensprings also earned some laurels with the school becoming the first private school in Africa to win the annual Keele International Cup in United Kingdom while Musa Alli was also named as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the championship.
An elated Head of Sports, Greensprings School, Oluseyi Oyebode said the school would not relent on its efforts while the nomination would surely spur the school to continue to affect the lives of Nigerian youths. Also, Nigeria’s golden girl, Blessing Okagbare and Super Eagles goalkeeper, Vincent Enyeama top the nomination chat as they have been nominated in two categories.
Okagbare, a double gold medalists at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, was nominated for the Track & Field Star of the Year and Sportswoman of the Year Awards while Enyeama was nominated for the Sportsman of the Year and Footballer of the Year Awards
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Greensprings wins football Cup in UK
Efforts by Greensprings School, Lekki, Lagos to develop football talents yielded fruit recently as the school lifted the Under-13 Warrior Keel International Football Tournament trophy in faraway Manchester, United Kingdom.
The elite school is the first Nigerian school to win the competition, defeating home team, Audley Juniors Football Academy five to three.
To reach the final, Greensprings beat Shawbury United, Wyrley Juniors, Strikers United, Vitoria Colts, Audley Juniors and Finland’s Wilds before beating Audley Juniors in the finals.
Most of the players that featured in the competition were products of the Greensprings/Kanu Football Camp (GKFC) and the School Weekend Sports Academy, which was established in 2012 to discover football talents among children aged five – 17, including the less privileged.
Musa Alli, Elvis Onyeze, Murtala Toheeb and Haruna Hadi, were part of the Greenspring team that featured in the competition. They won scholarship through the GKFC to attend the school.
They dazzled during the competition, especially Musa, who won the Most Value Player (MVP) award for his goal-scoring and playing abilities.
Prior to the Keele Cup, Alli and Onyeze shone at African Youth Games (AYG) held in Gaborone, Botswana which was won by Nigeria. Alli also clinched the MVP award for that tournament.
Head of Sports, Greensprings School, Oluseyi Oyebode, said his players caught the attention of scouts of English Premier Leagues (EPL) who watched the tournament.
“I think the scouts from these EPL sides were convinced that the players are future materials for the EPL and they are willing to engage them in their youth teams,” Oyebode said.
Meanwhile, Greensprings’ Senior team lost their semifinal match against Cannal FC, while the Girls team also lost their semifinal to a team from the USA.
In 2011, Greensprings lost to a Kenyan team in the finals.
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EPL teams target Greensprings’ teen sensations
For their exceptional display during the just concluded 2014 Warrior Keele International Football Cup, three top English Premier League (EPL) teams are now targeting Greensprings’ duo of Musa Alli and Elvis Onyenze.
Alli and Onyenze were part of the victorious Greensprings School team that won this year’s U-13 event of the Warrior Keele Cup and Alli was also named the best player of the tournament by the organisers.
Two of the EPL teams are former champions of the Premiership and they have all officially expressed their interest to engage the players.
After watching the players at the 2014 Warrior Keele Cup in Manchester last week, scouts from these teams were convinced that the two players are future stars that can be nurtured to stardom. At the Keele tourney, Alli was adjudged the most valuable player (MVP) of the tournament for his impressive performance.
According to Head of Sports, Greensprings School, Oluseyi Oyebode, the teams are willing to sign the players having officially expressed their interest in the players.
“I think the scouts from these EPL sides were convinced that the players are future materials for the EPL and they are willing to engage them in their youth teams,” Oyebode said.
Prior to the Keele Cup in United Kingdom (UK), Alli and Onyenze distinguished themselves at the football event of the African Youth Games (AYG) held in Gaborone, Botswana and their efforts ensured that Nigeria clinched gold in the event.
The players were products of public schools in Lagos Island, and through their conduct on and off the pitch during the annual Greensprings/Kanu Football Camp in 2013, the management of Greensprings School decided to award them scholarships to proceed with their studies.
After securing the scholarships to continue their education at Greensprings School, their fortunes on and off the pitch have changed positively.
As members of the team, they were outstanding and also contributed immensely to the success of Nigeria in Botswana.
Before the AYG in Botswana, Alli led the Lagos State team to the national U-13 championship in Abuja and his performance ensured that Lagos made it to the final before the team finally lost to Niger.
But the exceptional display of Alli was recognized and he was awarded the most valuable player (MVP) award of the competition.
Alli’s performance at the national U-13 tournament also earned him a call-up to the national during the build up to the AYG. Also, two new students- Murtala Toheeb and Haruna Hadi, who were awarded scholarships by Greensprings in 2014 made the team to the Keele Cup in UK.
Commenting on the feat achieved by Greensprings, Chairman, Lagos State Football Association, Seyi Akinwunmi said: “I have noted with pride the feat performed by our worthy ambassadors. I also acknowledge the great impact Greensprings School is having in the lives of the kids, some of whom have never travelled out of the country prior to this trip, I’m sure they will never forget it.
“I must say well done to the indefatigable Coach Oyebode and also finally a big thank you to our dear, Mrs. Lai Koiki, Director of the school, who always makes good things happen. A big congrats to Greensprings,” Akinwunmi said.
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Greensprings grooms future footballers
While Nigerians hope that the Super Eagles perform well at the ongoing World Cup holding in Brazil, Greensprings School, Lagos, is concerned about helping to raise future teams through its football scholarship..
Four beneficiaries of the scholarship, discovered during the last two editions of the Greensprings/Kanu Football Camp (a talent hunt initiative of the school with the Kanu Nwankwo Heart Foundation), are adjusting to academic and football life at the school’s Awoyaya campus in Ibeju-Lekki. The quartet, Haruna Adi, Elvis Onyenze, Musa Ali, and Muritala Toyeeb, were formerly pupils of public school before their talents led them to Greensprings, where they now enjoy topflight education in a serene environment.
Forming part of the scholarship is sponsoring them to tournaments. The school’s deputy head, Ms Dolapo Fatoki, said during a facility tour of the school that two of the quartet (Elvis and Musa) participated in the 2nd African Youth Championship in Burkina Faso and displayed their talent that made other countries to be envious. Musa scored a goal in the tournament won by Nigeria.
At Greensprings, Ms Fatoki said, the youngsters would be exposed to quality tuition based on the British curriculum, enjoy world class educational and recreational facilities, and benefit from the school’s core values of child-centredness, respect, integrity, excellence and service.
She said the football scholarship is just one of the initiatives the school has embarked upon to give back to the society.
Others, in her words include annual scholarship to orphans, training for teachers and support to several public schools.
She added that parents and the pupils have plugged into the school’s giving habit and are implementing several projects. The parents sponsor 10 pupils to Greensprings annually, while the pre-school, elementary, high, and International Baccalaureate arms of the school have provided facilities for public schools and donated in support of worthy causes.
“The empathy level of our children is very high. They are aware that they are privileged. Our children make contributions to charities in the school. The school also encourages parents to contribute. The school gives because it is the nature of the visioner of the school, Mrs Lai Koiki. She stands for giving back. It is something she teaches to every child that passes through this school,” she said.
But the school is not done with giving yet. During the long vacation, while some of its teachers travel to the United Kingdom for various training, Ms Fatoki said Greensprings will open its doors to teachers from public schools and other private schools to train at a highly subsidized rate.
Supporting Ms Fatoki’s claims, a parent, Mr Solomon Oyebode, said the school provides an environment for all-round development of its 1,300 pupils, aged between 18 months and 18 years.
He said he appreciates this value in his children and urged corporate organisations and individuals to support its many projects which can add value to the lives of the underprivileged.
“When children have been exposed to an environment like this, it helps them to develop much more. There are a lot of areas we require sponsorship that we would be happy to partner,” he said.