Sports

Another rare football gem surfaces in Malvon FC

Published

3 years ago

December 18, 2023

Mavlon FC will continue to be a hub of football talents in Nigeria, as the modest NLO side has discovered another rare football gem in 8-year-old wonder- kid, Benjamin Ikwulono.
Watching him dazzle the ball amid other footballers far older than him indicates his rich knowledge and skills in the round leather game.

He was discovered by Mavlon’s chief scout, Raymond Hassan in Abuja, but because he is still very young, the management of Mavlon FC decided to register the kid with Derby Football Academy of Abuja for the development of the young prodigy.

He is to be in Abuja where his parents reside and be undergoing his football development with Derby Academy, but whenever schools are on break, he comes to Lagos, to join his team Mavlon FC to continue to learn the Mavlon philosophy
It was part of his developmental process that made him feature for Mavlon FC against AJ United in a friendly game that ended 10-0 in favour of his side on Saturday.

Now the crux of the matter is not just the friendly game, but the confidence of an 8-year-old playing among U-15 boys, the age gap is quite wide, but his footballing prowess outweighs his age.

It was a beauty to behold this diamond, scoring a goal and creating an assist after coming in as a second-half substitute. His style of football depicts speed, skills, and strength, very similar to that of Kylian Mbappe, the French football star, who plies his trade with PSG in the French Ligue 1.

Amazingly, the shouts of ‘Mbappe’ rang the air whenever the ball was in his possession during the friendly game. His calmness before scoring his goals and his visionary passing skills are all the hallmarks of a future football star.

The potential “Little Mbappe” has demonstrated is hoped to be developed and nurtured as his years roll into teenage and adulthood.

In less than three years, Mavlon FC has developed some notable young football talents in Nigeria.

Golden Eaglets duo of Charles Agada and Cletus Simon, Salim Fago, Flying Eagles striker, and Israel Ayuma who both plies their trade with Istra 1961 of Croatia and Shedrack Kaye of Debrecen are some of the products of Mavlon Fc.

Others are highly gifted goalkeeper Friday James Samuel, who is billed to join Charlton Athletic when he clocks 18 years old, and Caleb Ochedikwu, on the verge of finalizing a deal with another European top division club.

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Sports

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

Published

11 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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