The Ayomidiran Foundation has successfully launched the inaugural โGirls Play Sportsโ Womenโs Football Tournament, a groundbreaking initiative aimed at discovering and promoting sports development among young girls in Nigeria.
Honorable Ayo Omidiran, the C.E.O of Ayomidiran Foundation and Chairman of the Organising Committee, expressed her delight at the launch of the โGirls Play Sportsโ program during a press conference held at the NFF Technical Centre in Abuja on Tuesday.
โThis โGirls Play Sportsโ initiative is set up to promote and empower young girls through the sport of football, aiming to provide a developmental platform, minimize social vices among young girls, and foster unity across Nigeria,โ Omidiran, a two-time House of Representative member told the media.
โThe โGirls Play Sportsโ Womenโs Football Tournament is more than just a tournament; it is a movement aimed at fostering equality, building confidence, encouraging a healthy lifestyle, and providing gainful opportunities through sports among our young girls. By involving grassroots teams from both the North and South of Nigeria, we seek to minimize social vices among young girls and promote a spirit of unity and inclusivity through the love of football.ย
โWith the support of the Nigeria Football Federation, our partners, and womenโs football stakeholders, we aim to create a lasting impact on these young girlsโ lives. We are excited about the journey ahead and look forward to witnessing the massive girl-child talent discovery and development that will emerge from this championship.โ
Dr. Muhammad Sanusi, the General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation, who also represented the NFF President, hailed the initiative and its alignment with the administrationโs agenda for womenโs football development, while lauding Honorable Omidiran for her pivotal role and remarkable contributions in supporting the womenโs game.
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โTo us at the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), this is a welcome idea. The board of the NFF keys into the FIFA vision of football development with various league programs and a focus on โcatch them young,'โ the NFF scribe said.ย
โThis is the right step in the right direction. This program will greatly impact the grassroots and help to elevate the standard of womenโs football in Nigeria. I will ensure that the Director of the Technical Department and Competitions identifies with this laudable program.โ
โWe cannot thank the Proprietor of Ayomidiran Foundation enough. It is not surprising that you are doing this because we know that she is one of the pioneers of womenโs football in Nigeria. We cannot forget the exploits of Omidiran Babes and the role she played when she was in the National Assembly to ensure peace and harmony in Nigerian football.โ
The inaugural championship will run from August 30 to September 30 2024, with eight teams making it to the Northern and Southern playoff finals from the preliminary round in the countryโs six geopolitical zones.ย
Registration is free and will only open to non-league clubs via the Ayomidiran Foundation website (ayomidiranfoundation.com) from July 24 and will close on August 23. Teams will have one month to train and prepare, with a maximum of 30 players per team. Draws and fixtures will be determined after the registration period ends.