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Canadian-Born Basketballer Joins Hoopers

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Reigning Nigeria Premier Basketball League champions, Rivers Hoopers, has bolstered their squad with the signing of Canadian-born Nigerian, Kelvin Amayo ahead of their 2024 Basketball Africa League campaign, Tidesports source reports.
The details of Amayo’s deal were, however, not revealed.
Amayo joined the Hoopers from Malian side, Stade Malien, for an undisclosed fee and becomes the club’s second signing after the announcement of William Perry last week.
Hoopers are making their second appearance at the competition since debuting last year.
The 32-year-old led Stade Malien to a third place finish in their maiden season of the Basketball Africa League last year.
Prior to that season, the guard helped the Malians to become champions of the Sahara Conference, where they defeated REG, Kwara Falcons and ABC Fighters.
He averaged 7.4 points, 4.8 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 2.4 steals in the eight games he played for Stade Malien.
Amayo previously played for Loyola Marymount Lions in NCAA, Georgia and Iran.
The BAL season, which begins on Saturday and ends June 1, will be played in the BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda, for a fourth consecutive season.
This season the league was expanded to 48 games and from two conferences to three conferences, as South Africa hosts the inaugural Kalahari Conference.

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Kano Pillars Signs two Europe returnees, four others

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Marvellous Musa grabs brace on NPFL return with Kano Pillars

Kano Pillars FC have added six new players to their ranks during the mid-season transfer window as they look to shore up the former league champions in the second stanza of the Nigeria Premier Football League.

Sai Masu Gida delved into the transfer market to purchase former Lillestrom of Norway midfielder, Charles Ezeh and Alex Jerry who staged a return to the team after his stint in the Maltese Premier League.

Other players acquired include Dawud Ibrahim, a left-back from Kebbi United, Uzogara Kennedy, a central defender from Rivers United.

In attack, the club has secured the services of three strikers—Eshimitu Gomino Eya from FRSC, Hadi Mohammed Olanrewaju from Bayelsa United.

These signings aim to add the necessary depth and quality as the Sai Masu Gida seek to refine their season and push for stronger performances in the league.

Meanwhile, the club announced the departure of four players from the club. Usman Aminu Maidubji and Yusuf Abdullahi have moved on loan to NNL side Barau FC and Plateau United, respectively, until the end of the season.

Additionally, Ghanaian midfielder Emmanuel Anaful’s contract was terminated by mutual consent, while striker Abdulmajeed Aminu is set to complete a move to South African side Moneni Pirates.

While bidding farewell to the departing players, the club’s chairman, Alhaji Ali Muhammad Umar, welcomed the new signings and urged them to give their best in restoring Kano Pillars to its glory .

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Elegbeleye To Deliver address  on football, education integration

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GBENGA ELEGBELEYE

The Chairman of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye, will be delivering a presentation at an event that seeks to strengthen the integration of football and education in the country.

Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau, the President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), is also billed to attend the event as the special guest of honour.

In attendance also will be the Ambassador of Hungary to Nigeria, His Excellency, László Szabó.

Organised by Hungary-based V Agency, the event will hold in Abuja on Monday, February 11 at Abuja Continental Hotel, Wazobia Hall.

In the invitation letter to Elegbeleye, the Chief Executive Officer of V Agency, Alexandra Végh, noted:”The purpose of this event is to strengthen the integration of football and education in Nigeria,

with a particular focus on scouting advancements.

“We aim to highlight the transformative role of  technology in scouting, including the use of advanced scouting software, video editing techniques, AI, and analytics courses,” Végh added.

The event, she went on, will explore how these tools, alongside the assessment of players’ physical attributes, can redefine professional scouting.

The event will also showcase V Agency’s contributions to fostering sports and educational partnerships in Nigeria while creating opportunities for collaboration with key stakeholders, including football clubs, academies, schools, and industry professionals.

Some of such stakeholders include officials and clubs of the Nigeria National League (NNL), Nationwide League One (NLO), football academies, and educational institutions.

During the event, Végh will offer insights into V Agency’s project in Nigeria. The event will provide opportunities for network with key figures in the football and education sectors.

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NCF targets success after W’Cup outing

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President of the Nigeria Cricket Federation, Uyi Akpata, says the board is poised to build on the success of the country’s female U-19 team at the recently concluded ICC U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup in Malaysia, as a way of advancing the development of the game in the country.

Nigeria’s Junior Female Yellow Greens ended the tournament as the sixth-best nation, creating huge upsets against test-playing nations New Zealand and Ireland.

The team’s historic performance drew more attention to the game in Nigeria, and Akpata believes the NCF can achieve more by fostering strategic partnerships with brands and relevant stakeholders ahead of subsequent tournaments.

Having started the year on a bright note with the Junior Female Yellow Greens outing, NCF presidents noted that it was in line with the board’s strategic plans for the year.

“We redefined expectations as we went along and these girls deserve all the accolades they are getting. Having said that, this is not just happening by chance, it is four years in the making,” Akpata said at the reception organised by the NCF for the team last Friday.

“We have six targets. For the female team, we want to break into the top 20 in the world and the top 25 in the world for the male so that we can go and play in the Challenge League where we can play the ODI, that’s a different status.”

According to Akpata, the U-19 women’s team performance has aided the NCF’s plan to sell itself to potential partners.

“One of the key things again is that we now have a brand we can sell so we are going commercial. Let people also recognise that they can invest in the cricket brand. Before the World Cup, we got two requests from international companies including one in Costa Rica saying they want to have their names on our outfit. But I paused and thought I’d rather prefer a Nigerian brand. That’s what these girls have done. Hopefully, we will launch the Nigerian Super League this year as well.”

Other Nigerian national teams will also be in the mix to qualify for more World Cups this year, beginning with the men’s U-19 team, which will host other countries in Lagos by April. The men’s senior team are billed for the final phase of the men’s T20 World Cup qualifiers in November.

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