Sports

Curtain Falls On 6th Edition of NCF/PwC National Under 17 Zonal Championship

Published

2 years ago

February 17, 2025

Joel Ajayi

The NCF National Under-17 Cricket Championship for Boys and Girls powered by PricewaterhouseCoopers(PwC), ended successfully across the 6 geopolitical zones of the country.

The 6th edition of the tournament witnessed an expansion to 36 states participating in the event reaching a new record attendance as new talents were discovered across the country, highlighting hope for the next generation of superstars as well as the evidence of the impact of the NCF grassroots development initiative. Yobe and Adamawa states in the North East were the pinnacle of our success story, after years of battling with the challenges of insecurity and the ripple effect from insurgency in that region, cricket finally made a breakthrough.

*SOUTH WEST*
Lagos state dominated the South West qualification by winning the gold medal in both boys and girls category. Oyo and Ogun State finished as runner’s up and 3rd place respectively while in the the girls category, Oyo and Ogun State reversed roles in the table standings.

*SOUTH EAST*
In the south East, Imo State continued to maintain dominance in the boys category while Anambra and Ebonyi State finished 2nd and 3rd on the log. Ebonyi State also were unbeaten in the girls category to stand above all in first place while Anambra and Abia finished 2nd and 3rd to round off the games.

*SOUTH – SOUTH*
A little shift in power was recorded in the South-South qualification as Delta State recorded their first win over Edo in as many attempts to win the top spot in the girls category while Edo and Akwa Ibom state shared the 2nd and 3rd position accordingly. Edo state wasn’t ready to surrender their dominance in the boys category as they recorded a comfortable victory in the finals against Delta State and Akwa Ibom settled for 3rd position.

*NORTH CENTRAL*
Power completely changed hands in the North central zone as Niger state emerged champions in the boys category after suffering a close defeat to Kwara State in the last edition. Benue State, making their first appearance, surprisingly took the 2nd spot while Kogi state settled for 3rd position. The girls category saw the roles reversed with Kogi State taking the first position followed by Kwara state and FCT finishing in 3 place.

*NORTH WEST*
Kaduna State maintained their impressive record in the North West by winning both the boys and girls category as expected while kebbi state won 2nd position, signaling their first medal in the tournament while Zamfara State finished 3rd position in the boys category. Sokoto State was the surprise runner up in the girls category and Kebbi state signed off in 3rd position.

*NORTH EAST*
Perhaps the biggest shocker from the zonal qualification series came from the North East zone as Adamawa state who made their debut appearance emerged champions in the boys category and youth game medalist Taraba State finished as runner up while Gombe State finished in 3rd position. The girls category finished with Gombe State winning the standing and Borno state finished 2nd as only 2 female states participated in that region.

The finals of the tournament is set to take place in Abuja from the 5th – 10th of March 2025.

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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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