Greenlock Academy officially compete in NLO

The 2025/26 National League One season will have a new entrant in its ranks, with Greenlock Academy set to formally compete for the first time in the Nigerian football pyramid, following the club’s official inauguration on Saturday.

The official inauguration ceremony, which took place at the Navy sports complex at Satellite Town, Lagos, witnessed the first professional steps of the academy, which was founded in 2023.

Executive vice president of the academy, Funsho Peters, outlined the objectives and ambitions for the club in an interview with saying, “It’s been about a year and a half now, although it feels like it has been 10 years or more. So I’m excited to see what we keep doing moving forward.

“We will be competing in the NLO, and I’m excited to see how we perform. I’m just focused on taking it one game at a time. Winning the league would be nice, but most importantly, making sure these players are fully ready to play at the next level when the opportunity comes is more important to me. But at the same time, you do have to win games. If you’re winning games, you obviously have the best players as well. So it goes hand in hand like that for us.”

When quizzed on player registration and recruitment, Peters revealed, “It is open to the public, but it is very selective as well. What we have done is that we have scouts around the whole of Nigeria scouting. But most importantly, through registrations as well. Once you have your kids and they’re interested in coming into the system, it is just a matter of contacting us. It is also a school whereby you pay and get involved, but it is very selective because we want the best athletes and the best students as well.”

On gaining promotion to the NNL, he said, “I think that will be a game-time decision. We will have to decide when that time comes.”

The team will play its home fixtures at the same facility used by another Lagos-based side, FC Ebedei, while the academy will welcome visiting clubs at the Navy sports centre in Satellite Town. The academy will also make use of Remo Stars Sports Complex in Ikenne for some of their home matches.

Vice chairman of the Lagos State Football Association, Dotun Coker, expressed his pleasure, “We are very happy with this, that is why we are here. We have analysed what Greenlock Academy is bringing to the state and we are happy with the programs they have on the ground. So, for an academy to thrive, you actually need your accommodation facilities, your medicals, and such academies should encourage an effective combination of education and football. So it’s not just football.

“We have been monitoring them and found that they encourage these children to take their education seriously. So it’s a great one for the state and we advise other investors that are interested in setting up academies to emulate what Greenlock has put in place now.”

Coker stated that the newly-formed outfit would benefit from its partnership with the state body, just like other clubs based in the metropolis.

One of the team’s rising talents, Alonge Daniel, said, “It’s been over a year since I joined the Academy. I came in through the last open screening that was conducted. It was a very tough process as I had to bat with over 700 players, but I’m grateful to God. I was one of those selected thanks to my ability.

“I have the same aspirations as every other player to make it to the highest level. For my name to go far like Osimhen, and the other footballing greats, like Mikel Obi and I believe that Greenlock will provide me with the pathways to do that because we have the facilities, the coaches and everything that we need to keep putting in the work, and we will get there in due time.”