The Rising Stars Football League (RSFL) is making waves in Nigerian grassroots football, with its unique approach focused on providing a platform for local players to showcase their talent.
RSFL Project Coordinator, Ifeanyi Kama, highlighted the league’s commitment to uplifting communities through football while sharing insights into the league’s progress and future plans.
“The major thing we want to do is to develop a platform to showcase these players. We’ve been working tirelessly since September last year,” Kama said.
The RSFL began with qualifiers in the six area councils of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), venturing into deep villages in places like Abaji and Kwai. After extensive qualifiers, 12 teams qualified for the league proper.
“These 12 teams competed fiercely, and Future Guaranteed from the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) emerged as the winners, securing their prize.”
“Now, we are moving into the Super 4, which is the main event, where the winning team will go home with 11 million naira—5 million for the community and 6 million for the team,” Kama explained.
The league organizers have made sure to support all participating teams throughout the tournament. Kama emphasized that incentives were provided to every team during the qualifiers to encourage participation. “A lot of teams didn’t believe what we did, but our very good plan worked out, despite all the challenges. We are trying to bring more people on board and ensure our foundation is strong,” he added.
What makes the RSFL unique is its community-driven philosophy. According to Kama, the league is about giving back to the people and supporting grassroots football development without asking for financial contributions from anyone.
“This is about the community, and we haven’t asked anybody for a dime because it’s about giving to the people,” he said.
Looking to the future, the RSFL plans to expand beyond the FCT. “We will go to Lagos, and we hope that the support from the people of the FCT will keep us here,” Kama concluded.
The Super 4 final will take place on Friday, Sept. 27 as Future Guaranteed FA and New Dawn FC go head to head at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium.
