Ayomidiran Foundation launches maiden “Girls Play Sports” Women’s Football Tournament

By Oyediji Oluwaseun Babatunde

In a bid to discover young talents for national team and open opportunities for young girls, Ayomidiran Foundation has launched the “Girls Play Sports” Women’s Football Tournament with the maiden edition set to take place this year.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ayomidiran Foundation, Honourable Ayo Omidiran unveiled the programs of event for the inaugural tournament during a press conference at the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Technical Centre, Abuja on Tuesday.

“It is with great joy and enthusiasm that we gather here today at the NFF Technical centre to officially launch the inaugural Girls Play Sports Football Tournament organised by the Ayo Omidiran Foundation,” Omidiran said during the press conference.

“This initiative reflects our deep commitment to promoting and empowering young girls though sports particularly football.

“The Girls Play Sports Football Tournament is more than just a tournament. It is a movement aimed at giving young girls with potential the opportunity to elevate their game to a higher level though the exposure and experiences this tournament would provide.

“Our goal is to foster equality, build confidence and encourage a health lifestyle among our young girls. This tournament serves as a platform for them to showcase their talents, develop their skill, and pursue their dreams in sports by involving grassroots and amateur teams from all geo-political zones of the country, we seek to break down barriers and promote a spirit of unity and inclusivity through the love of football.

“We believe that bringing together girls from diverse backgrounds will foster understanding, cameradry and mutual respect paving the way fora more inclusive and harmonious society.”

The tournament will run from August 30th to September 30th 2024. Registration opens on July 24th and will close on August 23rd providing teams a full month to train and prepare. Registration is free and can be completed via www.ayomidiranfoundation.com.

Each team can register up to 30 players to ensure a competitive and fair environment. 30 players maximum.

“Once the registration period concludes, we will finalize the draw and fixtures with the competition kicking off on August 30th.” Omidiran continued. “We are excited about the journey ahead and look forward to witnessing the incredible talents that will emerge from the Championship.

“I will like to take a moment to introduce and thank the dedicated team behind this initiative. First is Barrister Ajara Kadri who is a women’s right activist. She is the event coordinator who has worked tirelessly to prepare for this press conference and beyond.

“Next is Honourable Moses Bako. We all know him. He is our North coordinator. Coach Olajide Royal (South cordinator), and Mr Samuel Ahmadu (organizing secretary). Together we are committed to making the GIRLS PLY FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT a rewarding, resounding success.

“With the support of the NFF, our partners and the community and you our number one stakeholders, we aim to create a lasting impact on these young athlete’s life and break down cultural barriers through the unifying power of sports.

“Moreover, the tournament aims to take girls off the streets and away from social vices including violence. Many of our girls playing football internationally are now bread winners for their families. We want to encourage more girls to see sports as a viable career path.

“By the end of this tournament, we hope to have opened new opportunities for many young girls. In closing, I want to extend by heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has supported this initiative. Your believe in our mission inspire us to continue pushing forward. Let us rally behind our girls and celebrate their achievements both on and off the field. Thank you for being here today and we look forward to an exciting tournament ahead. Let the games begin.”

The General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation, Dr Muhammad Sanusi who also represented the Federation President hailed the initiative which he said is in alignment with the administration’s agenda for women’s football development.

“To us at the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), this is a welcome idea. The board of he NFF key into the FIFA vision of football development on lots of league programs and catch them young. This is the right step in the right direction. This week, we concluded the CAF C License for women. We have been able to discover young talents that will be used for national and international competitions.

“The present board of the NFF led by Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau is also making arrangements to make sure that all teams in Nigeria also have women’s teams. These are the kind of programs that will rely on local players.

“We can not thank the Proprietor of Ayo Omidiran Foundation. It is not surprising that you eventually doing this because we know that she is one of the pioneers of women’s football in Nigeria. We can not forget the exploits of Omidiran Babes and the role she had played when we was in the National Assembly to make sure that there was peace and harmony in Nigerian football.

“I am also happy that she did not limit it to football because I have the opportunity to work with her during COJA. It was not only about football. It’s about all sports but she wants to start with football and decided to work with people she think can add colour to what she is doing.

“The President of NFF who is unavoidably absent instructed that before traveling I should make sure that we inform Director Technical Department and Competitions to come and identify with this laudable program.”

Eight teams will make it to the Northern and Southern playoff finals from the preliminary round in the country’s six geopolitical zones when the maiden edition gets underway.