John Owan-Enoh, the Minister of Sports, and Gbenga Elegbeleye, the Nigeria Premier Football League chairman, have declared support for the Nigeria Youth League Cup.

They pledged their support for the league on the sidelines of the Nigeria Youth League Gala/Awards Night on Sunday in Abuja.

Mr Enoh said he was interested in any initiative promoting grassroots sports development in the country; hence, the Ministry would fully support the Nigeria Youth League Cup.

The minister said collaboration with Nigeria Youth League Cup organisers was a no-brainer.

Mr Elegbeleye said the N-Youth League was an attractive asset that would help boost the quality of the NPFL.

Mr Elegbeleye said the emergence of the N-Youth League Cup would provide the young players with a platform to showcase their talents. He added that it would ensure that some of these players added quality to the NPFL.

“The NPFL’s support for the N-Youth League Cup started last year in Saudi Arabia during the African World Football Summit. This was the first time we had a contact with the organiser, and sincerely, it was an attractive asset that we believed would ginger the NPFL.

“That was why we gave our full support to the programme. If you look at the Nigerian football scene at the moment, it is full of various academies, but there is no platform to showcase their talents to clubs within and abroad,” Mr Elegbeleye said.

Robinson Adakosa, president and founder of the Nigeria Youth League Cup, stressed that its objective was to create a league that gave young players the platform to hone their skills.

Mr Adakosa said it would also prepare them for the professional world, both on and off the field.

Mr Adakosa said the league was borne out of a deep desire to channel the country’s football passion into a structured platform. He added that the league was a vision close to his heart for many years.

He called on sponsors from the corporate world, private institutions, and philanthropists to help drive the process. He said this would help create an enduring legacy for future generations. 

Mr Adakosa stressed that their contributions would go a long way in helping the organisers cover essential costs and organise impactful events.

(NAN)