-Begins league as Auchi Conference showcases teams in Under 14 and 17 categories
…sends seasons greetings, describes tempo of league games and participation very encouraging – Alexander Amu Okokobioko – Chairman GYFDL
The recent commencement of youth football league in Edo North senatorial zone, tagged the Auchi Conference, being organized by the Grassroots Youth Football Development League in conjunction with Edo State Football Association in the Under 14 and 17 categories has been described as highly innovative and a welcome development with the zone being introduced to regular youth football games, providing a platform for football talents and coaches to be discovered and groomed across Edo State.
Showcasing a total of 6 teams; 3 each in the Under 14 and 17 categories, the popular Auchi Public field has become very lively with enthusiastic youths displaying their soccer prowess, every weekend, to the enchantment of fans and football enthusiasts alike.
Officials of teams such as Rising Star FC, Aviele FC, and Camp Elite FA who fielded players in the Under 14 and 17 categories have commended organisers of the league for not only providing a competitive platform for grooming youths and coaches, who have always been eager to embrace footballing as a career, but for also ensuring that the league games are brought within the convenience of players and clubs; providing opportunities for Edo North zone to benefit from the statewide league.
They maintained that the GYFDL is truly living up to its mission of
‘developing and promoting a vital and exciting youth football program for members of participating Clubs, regardless of ethnicity, gender, religion…’
While also applauding the innovation of having records of participating teams, players and coaches in the database of Grassroots Youth Football Development League, the coaches describe the experience of finding themselves and their teams being exposed to the world, which has broaden their reach and prospects of furthering their careers as a means of livelihood.
They also commended the screening process of the teams and players by GYFDL and Edo F.A, highlighting that it has brought the needed integrity to the process of managing age group sporting competitions, hitherto prone to having teams being sanctioned for fielding overaged players. Now, with vital details being captured in a database, incidences leading to sanctions emanating from fielding unqualified players can be avoided from causing embarrassment or disqualifications, both at the sub-nationals and international levels.
Recall that in the month of October this year, the youth football league also began at the Under 14 and 17 categories in Edo South with about 18 teams competing respectively in each of the categories.
As the league in Edo South is currently experiencing a temporary break to allow Edo North do a catch-up before the best performing teams are locked in a final group battle of round-robin, managers of the teams in Edo North said they are not only upbeat about winning prizes from emerging tops, but the opportunity provided to improve on the momentum of their games through the league, which promises to be a yearly event, as well as the organisers of the Grassroots Youth Football Development League providing coaches with opportunities for trainings that will groom coaching skills of international repute.
The chairman of Grassroots Youth Football Development League, Alexander Amu Okokobioko said they are quite enthused with the number of participating teams at this inaugural Grassroots Youth Football Development League, the level of discipline maintained, while also commending the Edo State Football Association for providing the needed partnership to achieve the so far commendable outings.
Okokobioko in lauding the contributions of all members of the Grassroots Youth Football Development League Board, who have been making personal financial and other sacrifices to ensure the League is sustained, asserted that the vision of ‘making football truly grassroots, by fostering and promoting the core values of football that will help impact our community positively, socially, and economically’ would be kept constantly in focus.
Emphasizing that the GYFDL is intended to offer an ideal model of what private initiatives can be driven to achieve in a society, Osagie Irabor, GYFDL board member in-charge of welfare reiterates that their interest is a manner of giving back to the society which they attribute to nurturing them with the core values that have fashioned their members with the heritage they are proud of, and solicits for additional support from all well-meaning persons, groups, corporate entities and political interests to derive a most rewarding community and sporting spirit towards having our youths meaningfully engaged.
In the Season’s Goodwill Message signed on behalf of Austin Iredia – Finance, Etinosa Onaiwu – Secretary, Osabuohien Ogiemwenken – Treasurer, Osagie Irabor- Welfare, Wahab Osaretin – Audit, Fuludu Edema – Coaching Education and Training, and Kingsley Ogbeide-Ihama – Public Affairs; by Alexander Okokobioko, the chairman wished all players, team managers, members of the Edo F.A. football enthusiasts a most rewarding football experience, merry Christmas and fruitful new year in advance.
