Sports
Wrestling Champion To Establish Training Centre
An Ebonyi- born African wrestling champion, Pius Nwachi, says he intends to establish a training centre in the state, to harness budding talents and check youth restiveness.
Nwachi, who hails from Ngodo, in Afikpo North Local Government Area of the state, is known in wrestlling circles as “Super Man Nwaching”.
The heavy weight wrestler had a career record of 12 fights: 10 wins, one draw with one disqualification, in the world wrestling circle.
He told newsmen at the weekend in Abakaliki that Ebonyi was blessed with budding youth talents to be groomed to excel in wrestling and other sports.
“The present realities in the country should make the government and relevant stakeholders explore all avenues to harness youths’ talents and make them self-sufficient.
“Sports, therefore, provide an ample opportunity to achieve this objective with the dearth of employment opportunities in the society,” he said.
He noted that the training centres would be in the mould of the Power Mike Training Centre in Anambra which had churned out budding talents for the country as it was where he cut his teeth to international stardom.
“I want the state government to provide me with a land to construct the centre and provide the needed logistics for the actualisation of the dream.
“My foreign partners are going to contribute to the project as it will serve as a veritable source of revenue to the government and provide jobs to the teeming youth of the state.
“The Kwara government assisted my contemporary from the state in constructing such centre and it will be a credit to Ebonyi governor in particular, to have national, continental or world champions churned out by the centre,” he said.
The 58-year old wrestler said he was still into active wrestling, having cut his professional teeth since 1985 and participated in heroic bouts in Saudi Arabia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Mozambique among other countries.
“I featured in the African Alliance series with world stars such as Thunder God, Prince of Africa, Mac Stanza among others and featured with the great Undertaker in wrestling series in South Africa.
“I also featured in the MTN gladiators’ series where I placed second and also ventured into film acting in South Africa between 2001 and 2006,” he said.
In a statement released by the league, the competition is scheduled to take place from Friday, June 5 to Sunday, June 14, 2026, with six clubs set to battle for the league title at the end of the 2025/26 season.
NWFL Chief Operating Officer, Modupe Shabi, said the choice of Port Harcourt reflects the Rivers State Government’s continued support for women’s football and its successful hosting of the league’s Annual General Assembly last year.
The Super Six tournament will feature the top three teams from Group A and Group B of the regular season competing in a round-robin format, with each club playing five matches over nine days.
Qualified teams for the competition include defending champions Bayelsa Queens, Edo Queens, Rivers Angels, Robo Queens, Nasarawa Amazons, and debutants Abia Angels.
The NWFL Premiership has produced four different winners in the last five editions, with Rivers Angels winning in 2021, Bayelsa Queens claiming the title in 2022 and 2025, Delta Queens triumphing in 2023, and Edo Queens emerging champions in 2024.
The league also urged participating clubs to comply with all competition regulations and directives ahead of the championship. The Super Six will determine Nigeria’s representative for the WAFU-B qualifiers for a place at the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League and ultimately the 2027 FIFA Women’s Champions Cup.
Teams are expected to arrive on Friday, June 5, when the draw ceremony and pre-match meeting will also take place. Matchdays are scheduled for June 6, 8, 10, 12, and 14, with rest days in between before the tournament concludes with the trophy presentation ceremony.
