The Executive Chairman of Ikorodu West LCDA, Otunba Olanrewaju Kazeem Sulaimon SKO, and the Sports Department of the LCDA have endorsed Believe Football Competition 2023 as the most outstanding in terms of officiating, regulation, organization and crowd turn-out, as the month-long competition which ended in fanfare and great excitement saw Seasiderz F.C emerge winner of the maiden edition after defeating Hadel FC in an intriguing final to clinch the highly coveted grand competition trophy and part of the monetary prize of N300,000 which was the support lent to the competition by the Ikorodu West LCDA.
According to the organiser of the competition, Coach Bamidele Adedayo Adeoye, AKA Believe, the maiden edition of Believe Football Competition was a wonderful experience in terms of bringing youths together to showcase their football talents.
The massive support from the LOC and everyone around made Believe Football Competition a memorable one. Speaking further, he said that the second edition will be unique and more glamorous than the maiden edition. Coach Bamidele Adedayo is a member of Football Coaches Association of African Nations (FCAAN) and also an award winning Coach who has won many laurels, including the Nigeria Automobile Technician Association Football Competition, 2018 (NATA Cup), Gold medal Ekiti State Higher Institutions Game (ESHIGA), 2011 and credited for leading Trinity House; Pastor Ituah Ighadolo’s Church team; to Victory in the Bishop Bamgbola Salvation Cup, 2021.
He also thanked God for the incredible feat while stressing that more Private/Government Organizations and Corporate establishments need to show stronger CSR to the grassroots which is where most of the big football stars that represented and are still representing the country internationally were all discovered.
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According to him, it wasn’t an easy feat at all but with determination and great vision, BELIEVE FOOTBALL COMPETITION has come to stay, and as such, greater expectation is being foisted on potential sponsors and supporters towards making the next edition a bigger and better experience, come 2024.
He thanked all the sponsors of the maiden edition, including Ikorodu West LCDA, Online Publishers, Editors and Reporters Association of Nigeria OPERAN, Ravega Limited , 11 Football Academy, Foursquare Gospel Church Missionary Zonal Headquarter, Agric, Ikorodu, DASCENARIO, Landmark College, amongst others, for their great show of support in cash and kind, while calling on other potential sponsors to join the band wagon.
One of the backbones of the competition, Mr. Olumuyiwa Osho, former Chairman of Hilltop CDA, Ojokoro Village, Agric, in Ikorodu West LCDA, was also very jubilant about the phenomenal achievement of the organising committee which he chaired to ensure that for the first time in the history of the area, grassroots football became a force to be reckoned with. He stated that during the course of the competition, a grassroots goalkeeper Memud Shina, was discovered and eventually signed on as a professional premier league who now plies his trade in neighbouring Benin Republic for Soleil Fc. Also, a young budding goalkeeper, Jackson Enobodje Akpobome, was equally discovered, and is now with the Lagos State Under-17 Youth Football Team for the National Youth Games.
The Supervisor for Sports for Ikorodu West LCDA, Mr. Delani commended the Local Organizing Committe of the competition for the well planned out programme of activities and the wonderful grand finale which had thousands of residents and visitors in attendance, describing the feat as a first of its kind in all of the Football Competitions he had ever witnessed in the LCDA.