BY SUNDAY AKINTOYE
No fewer than 48 football academies in Lagos are expected to feature in the 11th annual edition of U-15 boys and U-17 girls categories of Obafemi Awolowo Memorial cup 2025.
This competition is being organised by National Youth Soccer Association and sponsored by Obafemi Awolowo Foundation to mark the late Awolowo 116th posthumous birthday anniversary.
The competition will kick off on Sunday, 26 January, 2025 at the Jalisco sports center, Oshodi, while the final ceremony will take place on Sunday, 9 March at Abati Barracks Mini Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.
Vice Chairman of National Youth Soccer Association, Samuel Omolola confirmed that the draws will hold on Thursday to decide the teams that will play the opening match.
“We have numbers of clubs that have completed their registration forms and we still need more clubs to complete the numbers we are looking for which I believe we would get it before the draws,”he said.
The previous competitions had produced young footballers that are now in the Nigeria’s U-17 Golden Eaglets.
The winners of the competition would go home with the sum of N250,000 with a giant trophy, first runners up will pocket the sum of N150,000, as third position will go home with N100,000 in both categories.
Meanwhile, the competition is being sponsored by Dr. Tokunbo Awolowo, the founder of Obafemi Awolowo Foundation.