The interim Board of Bayelsa United FC has launched a one-week preseason football tournament aimed at discovering young talents for integration into the club.
The tournament, organised in collaboration with the Bayelsa Governor’s Football Tournament popularly known as the Prosperity Cup, will feature 14 teams.
A statement jointly signed by the club’s Chairman, Peter Singabele, and Prosperity Cup Director-General, Ono Akpe, who is also a board member, said the competition would provide platform for grassroots talent discovery.
“The idea of the tournament is to spot outstanding talents that will be infused into Bayelsa United because we want to see our team return to the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) immediately.
“We believe that the surest way to get talents is at the grassroots through platforms like this,” the statement said.
The statement disclosed that participating teams would include Prosperity Cup quarter finalists, Yenagoa-based clubs and three teams from outside Bayelsa, namely Ereme Jackson of Port Harcourt, Excellent FC of Ughelli and 36 Lions of Sapele from Delta
It listed the Yenagoa-based teams as Prosperity Cup finalists, Akinima/Biogbo; Mountain of the Lord Deliverance Ministry (MLDM FC); Krosaders FC; Brazil FC and Mountain of Fire Miracle Ministry (MFM FC).
Others are Bayelsa United Feeders, Federal University Kings (FUO Kings), Otuoke Grassroots FC, NDU Oilers, Orange Boys and Bayelsa Starlets Academy.
According to the statement, the tournament aligns with the vision of Gov. Douye Diri to identify and develop home-grown talents capable of representing Bayelsa United at the highest level.
It added that “this is an initiative from the new board in line with the governor’s vision to discover home-grown talents for Bayelsa United that will feature in the NNL league.”
The statement said the one-week tournament would run from Wednesday, July 22, to July 29, with matches commencing daily by 10 a.m. at the Samson Siasia Stadium, Yenagoa.
It urged participating teams to embrace sportsmanship and adhere strictly to tournament rules, stressing that the exercise would expose Bayelsa-born players beyond the state.
The statement noted that the tournament would be supervised by the newly appointed technical team led by Bayelsa United Technical Adviser and Chief Coach, Abdul Maikaba, alongside assistant coach Ngozi Elechi.
It added that the Prosperity Cup technical team would also participate in the programme as the club begins preparations for the new Nigeria National League (NNL) season.
Discover more from Keeping Them Honest
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.