Sports

13 years old Wonderkid become Youngest player to play an NLO Div 1 Match.

Published

3 years ago

May 14, 2023

13 years old son of former Flying Eagles of Nigeria Team Coordinator Mallam Abdulrahman Umar Baba, Abdullahi Abdulrahman has become the youngest player in history to feature in the Nigeria third tier football league Nationwide League One decided between Capital City FC taking on Supreme Court at the Area 3 Pitch Abuja.

Abdullahi Abdulrahman who is currently in the junior secondary school class 3 (JSS 3) of Excellent Secondary school in Zuba took the shine of the day as he was handed the captain band for his side Capital City to the cheers of fans as the teams and match officials filed out.

Speaking to Capital city media immediately after the game, young Abdullahi declared that it was a dream come true for him playing the game and hearing that he is the youngest player in history at his to play in the NLO division 1.

“It was a dream come true for me and I can`t express the joy in me for this feat because I have been hoping to play at the level since I started playing football at the age of 5 years and I want to thank my team mates for helping me to achieve my dream”.

Abdullahi who is just in JSS 3 while feeling so sad about the loss of the game to Supreme Court FC described the lost a bad one for him on his debut.

“I am really sad that we are losing my league game but I believe that is football where 3 results can be gathered either win, lose or draw and today we have lost but for me that is football we will keep working hard for the future”.

The father of Abdullahi Mallam Adbulrahman Umar Baba who is also the President of Capital City FC Abuja while reacting after the game described his son’s history making as a day of happiness for him looking at the efforts, he has been putting into playing football.

“I am a happy father today seeing my son making his league debut in the NLO Division One and for him also becoming the youngest ever at his age to play a league game. Let me tell you this is a boy who at least trains 3 times a week and is doing perfectly well in his academics so you can see the joy in me as a proud Father”.

With the lost 2-1 defeat to Supreme Court, Capital City FC only managed 9 points in games they played with FOLSA Academy having 11 points who will playing their last match against Bussdor FC which the result of games on Monday will determine the final grouping of the table.

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Sports

Plateau Vipers, Benue Queens Crowned Champions at HFN North Central Division One Tourney

Published

8 hours ago

October 3, 2026

The Gleamer

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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