Sports

Atiba FC Crowned Champions of 2022 Seasiders Cup

Published

4 years ago

July 24, 2022

The 2022 Seasiders Football tournament came to a close after a thrilling encounter in the final played Sunday at the Seasiders Stadium, Zone 1, Lugbe Abuja.

Back to back champions Atiba FC lived up to the billing by defeating hosts team Seasiders FC 2-0 to win the trophy for a record third time.

Gideon Olakin gave the champions the lead in the 67th minute from the penalty spot after Emmanuel of Seasiders FC was adjudged to have handled the ball with his hand in the 18 yard box. Olakin steps up to give Atiba FC a deserving lead.

When it’s looks like Seasiders FC are looking to draw level, the heroics of the eventual winner of the goalkeeper of the tournament Dahiru kept them asking the questions.

With no answers to those questions, Kenneth of Atiba FC in the 72nd minute was left unmarked from the edge of the box and the versatile midfielder made no mistake as he fires in a rocket shot into the bottom corner to further compound the woes of Seasiders FC and increases Atiba FC lead to 2 nil.

All efforts of the hosts team to respond were hitting the brick until the final whistle was blown. 2-0 it ended in favour of the defending Champions Atiba FC who have now successfully won the title for a record third time.

Gbokoro of Atiba FC won the most valuable player of the tournament while Emmanuel Ayaka of Zuma of FC with 5 goals scoop the highest goal scorer award.

In other the categories of awards, Ayo Olarewaju of Legbere FC won the best young players of the tournament, Dahiru of Seasiders FC won the golden gloves as the best goalkeeper while the coach of the tournament was awarded to Zuma FC Coach.

Cash as we as medals were presented to various winners as organizers of the tournament promise to make the fourth edition of the tournament bigger and better.

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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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