Sports
FCT Claims Double Victory at 2025 National School Volleyball U-15 Championship
Joel Ajayi
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) delivered an outstanding performance at the maiden National School Volleyball U-15 Championship, emerging champions in both the male and female categories.
The championship, which featured 15 teams from 10 states across Nigeria, took place from October 20 to 25, 2025, at the Package B of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.
The five-day tournament showcased remarkable displays of skill, teamwork, and passion from over 200 young athletes determined to make their mark on the national stage.
In the male category, FCT Team 1 clinched the gold medal after defeating Kaduna State in straight sets — 25-19, 25-20 — in a thrilling final that kept spectators on their feet. FCT Team 2 claimed the bronze medal, sealing a memorable double podium finish for the host territory.
The female final was an all-FCT showdown, with FCT Team 1 overpowering FCT Team 2 in dominant fashion — 25-11, 25-6 — to secure first place. Team Bayelsa earned the bronze medal after a commendable performance throughout the competition.
Individual and team awards were also presented at the closing ceremony. Edo State received the Fair Play Award in the female category for exemplary sportsmanship, while Cross River State earned the same honour in the male category.
The impressive outing by FCT underscored the territory’s growing commitment to grassroots sports development and the nurturing of young talents capable of excelling on national and international stages.
The championship, designed to promote school sports and discover future volleyball stars, has been widely praised as a major milestone in Nigeria’s efforts to strengthen youth participation in sports.
With FCT’s double victory setting the benchmark, the inaugural National School Volleyball U-15 Championship has laid a strong foundation for future editions and the sustained growth of volleyball across the country.
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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