SPORTS
Benue State Kick-starts 2022 with U-18 Tournament for Girls
Hope rises for kids in Benue State whose ambition is to take basketball as a profession as the Benue State Basketball Association has concluded plans for the 2022 u-18 Girls Tournament.
The three day event started yesterday, 13th, January at the basketball court inside the Aper Aku Stadium, Makurdi.
This initiative tagged “Catch them Young” is one of the many programmes on the 2022 calendar of the state basketball association.
Benue State Basketball Chairman, Col Sam Ahmedu (rtd) said the platform will provide an avenue for talented kids across the state to play coordinated basketball.
“Benue state is known for producing outstanding players for Nigeria at the national and domestic level and we need to sustain this tradition.
“Outstanding players like Veronica Charles, Nguveren Iyorhe, Vera Angwe, Tina Emmanuel, Joyce Gye, Lucy Adamgbe, Josette Anslem and Charity Ameh all from Benue state have all gone to represent Nigeria at different levels. We need to discover more talents through these grassroots programmes”.
“As we prepare for the 2022 basketball season, we will also be giving special attention to the girl child through basketball,” Ahmedu said.
The u-18 tournament will feature teams drawn from the major basketball catchment areas of the state such as Makurdi, Otukpo and Gboko.
This unique avenue will also afford state coaches the opportunity to identify talents they can incorporate into their team.
Nigeria’s Flamingos will leave for Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire on Wednesday ahead of the first leg of their 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifying fixture against Guinea.
A total of 36 players are currently in the team’s camp, though the squad is expected to be trimmed before departing for Abidjan.
The Flamingos arrived in Ikenne last week Sunday for the final phase of their preparations.
Akeem Busari’s side thrashed Lakeside Queens FA 5-0 in their first friendly in Ikenne last Thursday.
Guinea will host the first leg of the second qualifying round tie at their makeshift home ground in Abidjan on Saturday.
The reverse fixture is slated for the Remo Stars Stadium, Ikenne on Saturday, 30 May.
Nigeria’s Super Falcons will find out their opponents for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games women’s football qualifiers this week.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced on Tuesday that the draw for the African qualifying series will take place on Wednesday at its headquarters in Cairo, Egypt.
The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 12 noon and will be streamed live on CAF TV.
A total of 35 national teams, including Super Falcons will participate in the qualifiers, which will be played over five rounds.
The other countries are; Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Comoros, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea.
Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe are the other countries that will take part in the qualifiers.
Two teams will earn Africa’s slots at the women’s football tournament of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
The Super Falcons and Copper Queens of Zambia represented the continent at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France.
Nigeria’s Flamingos will take on Lakeside Queens in a friendly match in Ikenne on Thursday as they intensify preparations for their 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifier against Guinea.
It will be the Flamingos’ first friendly since arriving in Ikenne for the final phase of their preparations for the qualifying fixtures.
Akeem Busari’s side played five friendly matches in Abuja before travelling to Ikenne.
They secured four victories and one draw from their five friendly games.
The team is expected to play more friendly games before taking on the Guineans.
Guinea will host the first leg in Conakry on Sunday, May 24.
The reverse fixture is scheduled for the Remo Stars Stadium, Ikenne, a week later.
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