Sports
19th NNPC/Shell Cup: 54,000 Youths Compete For Laurels
No fewer than 54, 000 students from 2,750 secondary schools across Nigeria are competing for honours in the 19th edition of the NNPC/Shell Cup now holding at centres in 36 states of the Federation including Abuja, in the biggest youth football championship in Nigeria.
“This is another opportunity for young football talents to develop their dreams while still studying, and another platform for Nigeria to tap into a potential pool of top-class players,” said Osagie Okunbor, Managing Director of Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd (SPDC) and Country Chair Shell Companies in Nigeria.
NNPC/Shell Cup 2017 began with the preliminaries in May with state competitions which were concluded early June, paving the way for the zonal stage and quarter finals.
Coaches from the current Dutch League champion, Feyenoord Rotterdam will hold coaching clinics as part of the process for the semi-final and final matches which are planned for end June. Feyenoord Rotterdam is expected to improve the skills of the coaches, games masters and players bringing to bear their award-winning global youth football academy programme.
A total of N8.2 million will be awarded for the development of sports facilities in the top four schools with the 1st place winner receiving N3.5million. In addition, the two Most Valuable Players will head to The Netherlands for a short stint with the Feyenoord Rotterdam Youth Academy. And, on completion of secondary education, the top 10 talents will be eligible to compete for NNPC/Shell university undergraduate scholarships.
Former Nigerian international and NNPC/Shell Cup consultant, Segun Odegbami said: “Aside the monetary rewards, many young footballers have been discovered through this championship and they have gone on to represent the country in age-group football tournaments. Several have graduated to the Under-23 team and then on to the Super Eagles level. Professional clubs in Nigeria and overseas have often used the platform of the NNPC/Shell Cup to scout for talents for their teams. In a way, everybody is a winner in this football tournament.”
The NNPC/Shell Cup tournament was initiated in 1998 by the SPDC Joint Venture comprising the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Total Exploration and Production Nigeria, and the Nigerian Agip Oil Company. A notable success in the 19 years of the tournament is the reduction in the number of students who have successfully combined their education even as they prepare for a rewarding career in football.
A well-known football pundit in the State, Chief Christopher Okonkwo has lauded the efforts and vision of the Super Eagles Coach Eric Chelle for going from one venue of the Nigeria Domestic Nigeria Professional Football League match to the other in monitoring Nigerian players, with a view to invite some exceptional good one discovered into the main stream of the Super Eagles team.
Okonkwo, who made the commendation in an interview at the Port Harcourt Club recently, described the positive move by Coach Chelle as a good step in the right direction, noting that the practice was how its been done in the past among any contracted coach assigned to tinker the Super Eagles team.
“Truly, it has been an old tradition in the country seeing any newly engaged Coach to lead the National team, visiting some our Nigeria League venues during the league matches to spot light some good talents that could be used to beef up some grey areas in the department of Eagles team”
He, however, frowned at the current situation where our coaches had continously been over depending on the use of foreign based players during invitation of players to the National camp, thereby, relegating the domestic home based league players to the background as if they have nothing much to offer to the team.
“I can vividly recall that the likes of great players in the mode of Finidi George, Taribo West, Kanu Nwankwo, Austin Okocha, Richard Owobokiri, Emmanuel Osuigwe among others started from Nigeria football league before they graduated to play in Europe through which they later invited to Super Eagles camp to represent Nigeria”
“Besides, I’m also of the view that going to secondary school football competitive games could equally serves as a a good platform to discover budding talents that could be nurtured to become great stars in near future”, Okonkwo frankly added.
Okonkwo, therefore, prayed that any football coach to be engaged by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to tinker the Super Eagles should be told not to confine himself in staying in big hotel alone but to be visiting some of our local league match venues, with a view to discover some good players that can be drafted into the Super Eagles team.
“Indeed, I stand to be challenged that there some young good players in the Nigeria Professional League. If spotted and exposed, could give the some of the invited foreign based players a stiff competitive fight in securing a postion in the team”, Okonkwo emphatically stated.
Ezechukwu, one of the youngest members of the Nigerian contingent at the championship in Ghana, said her ambition was to win the 100m title in style and cap it with a new personal record.
The fresh secondary school graduate explained that she is fully focused on contributing to Team Nigeria’s medal hopes and is determined to deliver strong performances across her events.
“My main objective in Ghana is to clinch the 100m title and the 4×100m,” Ezechukwu told Tidesports source.
“Nigeria can be assured of my very best and my commitment to the Team. I would love to set a new personal best in Ghana, but anything that comes, I will take it. The spirit in the team is high, and I think we are ready to go,” she said.
Ezechukwu, who was part of Nigeria’s women’s 4x100m relay squad at the World Relays in Botswana, said the experience gained from that competition has strengthened her mindset heading into the continental championships.
She admitted that she learned valuable lessons from her previous outing, including a difficult moment during the relay where an early error affected the team’s rhythm, but said she has used the experience to improve her discipline and composure.
“The secret is just being disciplined, training hard and trusting my coach and believing in God, and the result will show,” she added.
The teenager is part of a 41-member Nigerian team comprising 24 female and 17 male athletes competing at the championships, which begin today at the University of Ghana, Legon.
Nigeria are expected to compete across multiple track and field events as they aim for a strong finish against the continent’s elite athletes.
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