The management of the
Lagos Junior League (J-League), has fixed May 13 for its third annual gala-night and award to reward the league’s outstanding players and corporate bodies.
The Secretary of the league, told Taofiq Aromire newsmen in Lagos that the reception was to retain the bond among the stakeholders of the league.
“The three-year-old U-20 grassroots soccer competition has its usual yearly ritual to end its season with award to players and corporate bodies.
“The award is for more success, more feats and more support from our sponsors.
“Both players and our corporate sponsors over the years have done well and needed a pat on the back for more achievement.
“There is the need to elicit the support and good performance of the organisations and players for the league to remain relevant.
“We are looking towards a time when the state will totally hands-off from running the competition and allow business organisations to take-over,’’ Aromire said.
He added that the venue for the gala night will remain the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos.
According to him, the U-20 soccer competition is fashioned after the Nigeria Premier League with a global view of nurturing players to stardom.
“Football is a universal language that knows no geographical boundary.
“It is in that perspective that we are operating in J-League with a view to producing players that can hold their own anywhere in the world,” he said.
J-League third year season for 2013/2014 which started last September ended last March.
The competition had produced players like Akinjide Idowu, Abdullahi Alfa and Dele Alampasu of the victorious Golden Eaglets that won the last Under-17 World Cup played in the United Arab Emirates.