Family Worship Champions FC Clinch FCT President Cup Title

Published

2 years ago

February 22, 2025

Joel Ajayi

Family Worship Champions ( FWC) football club edged EFCC FC 4-3 on Saturday in a penalty shootout to claimed the 2025 FCT President Cup title in Abuja.

The thrilling finale match, played at the Area 3 football pitch in Abuja.

The match got off to a dramatic start, with FWC FC being awarded a penalty just three minutes into the game.

However, Leonard Chung’s effort was unsuccessful, and the team had to dig deep to withstand the mounting pressure from EFCC FC in the first half.

In spite creating several scoring opportunities, EFCC FC was unable to capitalised on their chances.

In the second half, EFCC FC continued to push forward, but FWC FC’s defense held firm, preventing their opponents from finding the back of the net.

The game ultimately ended 0-0 after regular time, leading to a penalty shootout.

In the shootout, FWC FC emerged victorious, winning 4-3 against EFCC FC to claim the title.

The victory marked a significant milestone for the team, who had previously fallen short in crucial penalty shootouts.

Speaking after the match, Bunmi Haruna, the coach of FWC FC expressed his pride and satisfaction with the team’s performance.

“We have worked tirelessly to improve our penalty shooting, and it paid off today.

“ I am grateful to the players, backroom staff, and supporters for their dedication and hard work.

“ We have secured our place in the upcoming National President Cup,” he said

Haruna, a journalist himself, acknowledged the vital role of the media and community support in their success.

“This trophy is dedicated to everyone who has backed us throughout this journey.”

On his part, the coach of EFCC FC, Kabiru Sani praised his team’s performance, in spite the loss.

“We are impressed with our timing and delivery throughout the FCT President Cup.

“ Although we fell short in the final, we have secured our place in the upcoming National President Cup.

“ The victory marked FWC FC’s first major title, and they will look to build on this success in future competitions,” he said .

In the women category saw Naija Ratel FC beat N-Youth ladies Football Academy 6-0 in the final ,both team also secured a ticket for the upcoming National President Cup.

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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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