The third edition of the Edo State Annual Secondary Schools Football Tournament organized by Edo People’s Forum came to a climax on Friday with the final games in both the male and female categories decided at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City.
At the end of hostilities in both finals, Edokpolor Grammar school triumphed over the hard fighting St. David College, Evboneka 3-2, while Idia College Benin City thrashed St Angela’s Girls Grammar School of Jattu 3-0.
Winners of both male and female categories went home with a million naira each while the second and third placed teams picked N500,000 and N300,000 respectively with medals and trophies.
Individual awards of Most Valuable Players, Highest Goal Scorer, Goalkeeper and others were specially recognized and honoured.
Organizers of the tournament in a post match interview said the games were designed to discover talents that abound in the state, stressing that the exercise offered the students the needed opportunity to express themselves and showcase their skills with possibilities of pursuing a career in football.
The Chairman of the tournament’s Working Committee, Col. Charles Asowata(rtd) expressed the Forum’s gratitude to the Edo State Ministry of Education who made the children available for the competition and the Sports Commission who granted them access to the stadium to stage the competition.
Asowata disclosed that the eight schools that participated were lodged in one of the best hotels in Benin City and were equally fed three times a day for the six days spent during the competition.
He also said that they were happy that in 2022/2023 they were able to produce some professionals among the participating schools, adding that five of the discovered talents have moved to Edo Queens; two to Fortress Ladies Football Club while two other persons are presently playing outside the country.
“The tournament is to build characters. How to accept loss and celebrate winning. It takes off children from the streets. Our job is to encourage them to be better citizens and not to involve themselves in cultism because they are our future,” Col. Asowata submitted.
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