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| L-R: La Liga Ambassador for Nigeria, Mutiu Adepoju; Chairman, Ogun State Football Association, Alh. Ganiyu Majekodunmi; Brand, Digital, and Marketing Communications Lead, ValueJet, Aisha Adams; President, Remo Stars FC, Hon. Kunle Soname; Manager, Sponsorship & Promotion, MTN Nigeria, Njide Ken-Odogwu; and Head, Special Projects, Nigeria Professional Football League, at the press briefing of the 5th edition of the NPFL U-15 Youth League, supported by MTN, which held at Remo Stadium, Ikenne, Ogun State, on April 13, 2022. |
La Liga, the Spanish professional football league managers, have announced the 2023 edition of the U-15 youth league tournament in partnership with MTN Nigeria, the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL).
The tournament officially kicked off on Thursday 13 April,
2023, after a press briefing at the Remo Stars stadium in Ikenne, Ogun State.
The U-15 tournament will feature 16 teams showcasing the sport’s best and
brightest young talent.
Harry Iwuala, head of communications, NPFL, stated that the
tournament provides an opportunity to further invest in and develop grassroots
football in Nigeria. According to him, TheU-15 tournament promises to be one of
the most exciting sporting events of the year, with 16 youth football teams
from across the country competing for a month to be crowned champions.
“The philosophy behind this tournament is the same as the
philosophy behind every global youth football development program: find
tomorrow’s professionals today and hone their skills to become tomorrow’s
professionals. We are excited to see how this tournament has grown over the
years. We will continue to improve the tournament and be a true platform for
developing football in Nigeria,” Iwuala stated.
Adia Sowho, chief marketing officer, MTN Nigeria, reiterated
the telecommunications company’s commitment to the development of grassroots
football in Nigeria. According to her, MTN is committed to the growth of sports
in Nigeria, with a particular focus on grassroots football.
“We are partnering with the NPFL and La-Liga for the U-15
Promise Youth League because we believe there are many undiscovered raw talents
out there waiting to be discovered, and this is the right platform to help them
reach their full potential. We remain committed to the development of football
in Nigeria because we believe that this is Naija where football lives.
“At MTN, we believe everyone deserves the benefits of a modern connected life, and we bring this to light by becoming an enabler of these young Nigerians’ dreams and aspirations,” stated Sowho, who was represented by Njide Ken-Odogwu, manager, sponsorship and promotion, MTN Nigeria.
The U-15 tournament ensures that Nigerian youth football
receives ongoing local and international exposure, as well as capacity building
for players and coaching talent, all of which contribute to the advancement of
developmental football in the country.
Mutiu Adepoju, La Liga Global Ambassador for Nigeria, stated
that the tournament is critical for identifying future football players in the
country. “Since 2016, La Liga has supported the development of football in
Nigeria because we recognize how much talent exists in the country, and with
more tournaments like this, we will be able to do more than we are currently
doing. We will continue to offer support in ensuring that Nigerian football
thrives.”
In addition to the competition on the field, the tournament
will include a one-week coaching seminar where seasoned La Liga coaches will
interact with their local counterparts on modern youth coaching techniques. The
seminar will benefit over sixty NPFL coaches, national team coaches, and other
youth coaches from across the country.