A rare opportunity came the way of scores of youth footballers in the Lekki axis of Lagos state in August, as they smile home with millions of naira while exhibiting their skill and passion in a five-a-side football tournament tagged; ‘Premier Cool Turf War.’
Five-a-side football is a variation that is common and convenient with Nigerians at the grassroots. It is a form of association football in which each team field five players (four outfield players and a goalkeeper).
Other differences from football include a smaller pitch, smaller goals, and a reduced game duration. Matches are played indoors, or outdoors on AstroTurf or artificial grass pitches that may be enclosed within a barrier or ‘cage’ to prevent the ball from leaving the playing area and keep the game constantly flowing.
The football variation has not gained much attention from cooperate organizations and government to the extent that not even one single big sponsored tournament has been organized either by federal, state, or Local government despite the popularity and growing trend of the type of football.
This, however, gave the first ever Premier cool organized 5-Aside football tournament in Nigeria the much pump and enthusiasm. The two-week long maiden organized football fiesta was laced with music, dance, and showbiz entertainment even as the fans were celebrity-studded.
FIFA Trained Nigerian referees and the Lagos State Football Association (LSFA) were the match officials after supervising the draws and medical screening of players as the game gets underway.
The road to the final involved a lot of painstaking work as 4000 teams initially registered for the tournament. These teams were, however, whittled down to 32 and subsequently to 16 via an online voting contest. The 16 teams then went on to compete in a series of matches for a place in the final that eventually produced Fast Five FC as winners of the competition.
Fast Five FC became the Five Aside winning team at the climax of the tournament and the footballers smiled home with N3million winners prize.
From the onset, Fast Five FC were fans favourite against PhotostudioNG FC, Hunters FC, Juniorates FC, Bomb Squad FC, Odd Twelve FC, Old Ladies FC, and Ballers FC.
They proved their mantel to go through to the semi-final against and eventually progressed to the final, while Hunters FC and Juniorates FC faced off for third place.
Squaring up against PhotostudioNG in the final, fans were kept on the edge of their seats for the duration of the match.
Fast Five FC were already down by four goals at the resumption of the second half, but they dug deep and took the game to extra-time after four quick-fire goals. PhotostudioNG FC soon found their way back in front, but Fast Five got another last-gasp equalizer and took the game to penalties. It was equally a fierce battle, but Fast Five FC emerged champions as they won on penalties, completing an incredible comeback.
The first and second runners-up were also rewarded with monetary rewards.
Kunle Ibaru, a Real Estate consultant, who was awarded ‘Most Valuable Player’ of the tournament as well as the competitions ‘Highest Goal Scorer’, could not contain his excitement as he thanked Premier Cool for such a laudable initiative to reward passion for football.
The Premier Cool Turf Wars is endorsed by the Lagos State Football Association (LSFA); the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF); and also proudly supported by SociaLiga, a sports entertainment company that aims to bring people together by creating an ambiance where people can network and enjoy fun activities.
According to a life coach and sports psychologist Dele Awosika, “with what I have seen here, I can tell you that our leaders can take the burden of insecurity off their mind if they would invest more resources into grassroots football and other sports. If a single cooperate organisation can achieve this magnitude of success how much more there is an enabling structure to foster qualitative football empowerment, the future of the youths will be secured with the enabling environments to develop sports and talents.”
According to the Brand and Activation Manager, Busayo John, Premier Cool Turf Wars is an initiative borne out of ‘love for the game’ and its social impact.“Football is a widely loved sport especially in Nigeria; it has the power in uniting millions of people and changing lives. This is no different from what we want to achieve with the Turf Wars 5-a-side football competition.
“We want to reward the passion of our consumers, who still make time out of their work schedules to play and enjoy the game of football. This event is not just about the football, as we have created a cool atmosphere for relaxation, networking, good food, as well as music, to make it a worthwhile experience for everyone,” she said.
For emerging the winning team and champion of the maiden edition of the tournament, Fast Five FC, went home with the star prize of N3million, while the second and third runners-up will walk away with N1.5million and N750, 000.
