Sports
6th Edition of National Under 17 Cricket Championship Powered By PwC Set to Begin With Zonal Qualification Across Nigeria
Joel Ajayi
Still basking if the euphoria from the exploits by the Nigeria female under-19 team at the ICC Under-19 female T20 world cup in Malaysia, the country is set to host the 6th edition of the National Under 17 Cricket Championship for boys and girls with qualification series across the 6 geo-political zone in the country.
Over the years, the competition have grown to become the biggest age grade tournament in Nigeria and West Africa, providing the right pathway for the next generation of superstars to wear the prestigious ‘Green and Yellow” kits of Nigeria. The last five editions have witnessed a significant expansion in the number of participating states. The first edition had 19 states participating in the boys category and 15 states in the girls category with an small increase in 2021 after the Covid-19 pandemic where 21 states and 17 states participated in the boys and girls category respectively.
As the tournament became more popular, 2022 witnessed a significant increase in participation where 25 states featured in the boys category and 21 states in the girls category. In 2023 and 2024, the numbers continued to increase with a staggering representation of 33 states participating in the boys category and 29 states in the girls category during the 5th edition in 2024, making a total of 3,290 player participants and 928 coaches representation in this tournament with over 450 officiating jobs carried out in the last 5 editions.
The 6th edition is looking to set a new record of participation with Yobe, Adamawa and Bauchi from the North East all making their appearance for the first time, while in the North central, Benue State finally breaking their barren years of involvement in Cricket by featuring a boys team in the North Central zonal qualifier.
North Central qualifier will take place in the FCT, Abuja while North West and North East will take place in Kaduna and Borno State respectively. The South-South qualifier will take place in Asaba, Delta State, Ebonyi State will host the South East while Lagos State will host the South West states.
The date for the zonal qualification are scheduled as follows,
*North Central: 8- 12th February**North East: 8- 12th February**North West : 8- 12th February**South-South: 6 – 10th February**South East: 7 – 11th February**South West: 6 – 10 th February
All dates include Arrival and Departure .
The National final is scheduled to take place in Abuja from 18th to 23rd of February 2025. For more information and inquiries, contact the tournament coordinator *(08055839884)*.
Sports
Plateau Vipers, Benue Queens Crowned Champions at HFN North Central Division One Tourney
Joel Ajayi
The President of the Handball Federation of Nigeria (HFN), Jibril Seidu, has said the federation will continue to intensify its grassroots talent development drive through zonal competitions across the country.
Seidu stated this on Saturday in Abuja at the finals of the 2026 North Central Division One Handball Championship, where Plateau Vipers defeated Suleja Shooters 29-24 to emerge champions in the men’s category.
In the women’s final, Benue Queens of Makurdi defeated City Queens of Suleja to claim the title.
The eight-day tournament featured teams from across the North Central Zone, with Plateau Vipers of Jos, Confluence Stars of Lokoja, Unity Boys of Abuja, Suleja Shooters and Nasarawa Ambassadors of Lafia competing in the men’s category.
In the women’s category, Nuela Handball Academy of Ilorin, Inikpi Babes of Idah, Benue Queens of Makurdi and City Queens of Suleja competed for honours.
At the end of the competition, four teams — two male and two female — emerged as the North Central Zone’s representatives for the national Division One league.
According to Seidu, the tournament was organised as part of the federation’s deliberate strategy to take handball development back to the regions and discover talents that might otherwise remain unnoticed.
He said the HFN board, inaugurated on October 25, 2025, resolved that grassroots development was essential to creating a sustainable pipeline of players for national and international competitions.
“All the teams you have seen here are from the North Central Zone of the country, and every state is represented with an academy or state team,” he said.
Seidu explained that the new approach marked a departure from the previous system, where talent identification was largely centred on the federation’s major league competitions.
He said taking competitions to the regions would provide young players with greater opportunities to showcase their abilities while strengthening the foundation of handball across the country.
The HFN president also linked the grassroots initiative to Nigeria’s recent achievements in international handball, stressing the need to develop younger players who can eventually replace members of the current national teams.
He noted that Nigeria had qualified for the 2027 Men’s Junior Handball World Championship in North Macedonia, describing the achievement as evidence of the potential within the country’s handball system.
“How do we replace these players with upcoming players? This is the avenue for us to get players,” he said.
Seidu added that the federation was determined to make handball more visible and accessible, describing it as one of Nigeria’s major sporting disciplines with significant potential for growth.
The North Central tournament is part of a wider zonal programme designed to decentralise handball development across Nigeria.
According to the federation, similar competitions are being organised across other zones, including the South East, North East, North West and South South, with qualifiers from each zone expected to converge at a designated venue for the next stage of the competition.
The federation also appealed for greater support from sponsors, stakeholders and state associations to sustain its grassroots development programme.
It expressed appreciation to the participating states, academies, team sponsors and other stakeholders for their support and commitment to the growth of handball in Nigeria.
The federation said the initiative would provide a platform for discovering the next generation of Nigerian handball stars while expanding the sport’s reach beyond its traditional centres.
While Speaking the elated coach of Benue Queen Godwin Tondo has promised a stronger and more tactical performance after guiding the team to victory at the 2026 North Central Division One Handball Championship in Abuja.
He attributed the success to the team’s long-term youth development programme, noting that the squad was built through a deliberate process of identifying and nurturing young talents.
According to him, the programme began with the selection of 92 girls from secondary schools, who were subsequently trained and developed over a four-year period.
He said the team’s success was a product of sustained hard work and commitment despite the challenges encountered during preparations for the tournament.
“I feel very pleased being a champion today. The road to this stage was very, very hard, but I am very happy that we have got the result from all the toughness of the game,” he said.
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