The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of JOF Nigeria Limited, Dr. Olusegun Olugboyegun, has hinted that the annual U-13 JOF Kids Cup Tournament may be repositioned to cover the southwest region of Nigeria very soon.
The tournament, whose sixth edition ended on Sunday at the Sports Centre of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), saw Varsity Football Academy of Lagos Island winning the trophy after defeating B. Unit Boys from the Mainland 1-0.
Dr. Olugboyegun, who joined other dignitaries to grace the final ceremony, felt elated that the tournament, since it began six years ago, has lived up to expectations. According to him, it has been his delight to see these young boys display their talents in football.
He said that though the competition has been domiciled in Lagos, the enthusiasm and frenzy, together with the wider acceptability it has attracted, the sponsor may look at the situation of extending it to states in the southwest region of Nigeria.
“For the past six editions, we have seen how far we have been able to impact our youngsters in Lagos State. This is commendable and this gives up the motivation to take the tournament to the next level by giving teams from the southwest region the chance to feature in the JOF Kids Cup,” he said.
He disclosed that he was happy that the competition had gained a lot of mentions in the Nigerian media, a testimony of his strong belief in the youngsters of this country, adding that what the youths need to excel is support and an enabling environment.
Meanwhile, the winning team, Varsity Football Academy, were spoiled by the sponsor, JOF Nigeria Limited, with the star prize of N750,000, with other assorted gifts. Second-place winners, B. Unit boys were rewarded with the sum of N500,000. Strong Dove from Orile, who beat First Class Boys from Lagos 3-1 in the third place match, were given the sum of N350,000, while the fourth position got the sum of N250,000.
Three understanding players were also rewarded with N25,000 each. The Most Valuable Player (MVP) Abdullahi Akinremi from Varsity Boys FC, Highest Goals Scorer, Marvellous Gavor of B. Unit, who scored eight goals and the Best Goalkeeper, Varsity Boys’ Alex Peter.
Dignitaries, among whom were Dr. Olusegun Olugboyegun, the Chairman/CEO of JOF Nigeria Limited, his wife, and others who included some notable Nigerian ex-internationals, watched the final with enthusiasm and praised the soccer artistry displayed by the two finalists with the submission that JOF Nigeria Limited’s efforts to identify with the youths and discovered football talent from the grassroots is paying off.
