*Bayelsa United wins Governor’s Pre-Season tourney
Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri has pledged to continue prioritizing sports development as a means to positively engage the youth in the state.
He made this commitment during the finals of the Governor Douye Diri Pre-season Tournament held yesterday at the Samson Siasia Sports Complex in Yenagoa.
Represented by his deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, Governor Diri emphasized that his administration is committed to investing in sports despite any associated costs.
According to a statement from MDoubara Atasi, the Senior Special Assistant on Media to the Deputy Governor, Diri highlighted that sports are a crucial tool for youth engagement.
He underscored that sports and education will remain central to his administration’s focus, as both sectors have the potential to steer young people away from drugs, criminal behavior, and other detrimental social issues.
Diri, who described Bayelsa as the Mecca of sports in Nigeria, said he was elated to hear that 10 players who took part in the Prosperity Cup would be leaving Nigeria to earn a living through sports, describing the pre-season tournament as a laudable initiative.
He said that the government was working round the clock to host a similar tournament for Bayelsa Queens to put the girls in shape before the commencement of the Nigeria Women Premier Football League (NWFL) later this year,
Expressing satisfaction over the success recorded in the competition, he also promised to make the Douye Diri Pre-season tournament an annual competition to prepare Bayelsa United ahead of every season.
Diri congratulated the champions, Bayelsa United, their Coach, Ladan Bosso, and all the participating teams for their show of dexterity and professionalism throughout the tournament.
He urged them to build on their achievements so far.
In his remarks, Chairman Central Organising Committee, Mr. Ono Akpe, said he was confident that Bayelsa United would have a productive season in the NPFL, noting that the essence of the tournament had been achieved.
He explained that apart from preparing Bayelsa United for the new season, the competition had also exposed more local players to some NPFL teams, adding that some of them would be traveling to Turkey and Finland in the coming days.
Akpe, who described Bayelsa as the home of grassroots football, appreciated Senator Douye Diri and his deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo for giving sports premium attention.
He equally thanked the commissioner for Sports Development, Dr. Daniel Igali and the Local Organising Committee for translating the vision of the governor.
Bayelsa United emerged champions of the Governor Douye Diri Pre-season tournament, beating Bendel Insurance 7-6 on penalties to clinch the trophy and the prize money.
The “Prosperity Boys’ smiled home with N1.5m, second place Bendel Insurance got N1 million while Akwa United received N500,000 for finishing third in the tournament.