Sports

Gusau implores Falconets to grab Colombia 2024 opportunity to enhance career

Published

3 years ago

November 9, 2023

President of Nigeria Football Federation, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau, on Thursday charged the country’s U20 girls, Falconets to go all out and win their FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup second round, first leg tie against Tanzania on Sunday in order to start paving their way to greatness in their chosen career.

Speaking when he visited the girls at the FIFA Goal Project inside the MKO Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, in what was their last training session before their trip to Dar es Salaam, Gusau said the players must comport themselves appropriately on and off the pitch as they are ambassadors of Nigeria.

“Your first port of call is Tanzania, but your destination is Colombia, where the World Cup will take place next year. You must have it in mind that this is only the beginning of the journey. I have no doubt that you will conquer Tanzania and go ahead to qualify for the World Cup finals.

“Our country has never failed to qualify for the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup since the competition started more than 20 years ago, and I am sure you girls will not want to be the first set to be associated with failure. Therefore, you must put in extra effort, listen to your coaches and play to instructions.”

Gusau told the players that the character they display off the field of play at all times is as important as the talent and skill that they advertise on it.

“As ambassadors of our great nation, you have a responsibility to be of the very best conduct on and off the field. You must fly the flag brilliantly and conscientiously, and emerge victorious. After the Tanzanian hurdle, there are still more hurdles for you to overcome before earning the ticket to Colombia. So, it is a long journey with a lot of hard work and determination, but it is worth it to put your career on track and head towards greatness in your chosen field.”

The Falconets’ contingent will depart Nigeria on Friday aboard an Ethiopian Airways flight to Addis Ababa and onwards to Dar es Salaam, where they clash with the Tanzanian U20 girls on Sunday. Both teams will again trade tackles at the MKO Abiola Stadium, Abuja on Sunday, 19^th November 2023.

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Sports

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

Published

12 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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