Sports

Elegbeleye tasks NPFL Clubs to Scout for Players at NDSF

Published

2 years ago

March 4, 2025

Joel Ajayi

Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) Clubs have been pointed in the direction of the forthcoming Niger Delta Sports Festival (NDSF) as an organic scouting ground for players.
Hon.Gbenga Elegbeleye, the NPFL Chairman offered the tip while endorsing the festival scheduled to hold from April 1-8 in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

The former Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC) obviously has the pedigree to speak on the benefits of multi-sports events like the festival having supretended the participation of Nigeria in Commonwealth Games and the Winter Olympics where the country made good medals returns

He is specifically excited by the festival Ambassadors initiative, which he said would feed the aspirational hunger of budding athletes.

The likes of Nwankwo Kanu, Blessing Oborodudu, Victor Ikpeba and Enefiok Udo-Obong have been appointed Festival Ambassadors. There are also Emmanuel Amunike, Tamunosiki Atorudibo, Patience Igbiti, Seun Ogunkoya and Efioanwan Ekpo.

“The organizers could not have done better than to go for those who have made the nation proud in major international competitions like the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games and other various World Championships as Ambassadors of the Nigeria Delta Sports Festival.”

“The goals of Kanu, Ikpeba and Amunike were crucial in getting Nigeria an important gold medal at the 1996 Olympic Games just as our anchor, Enee ran the race of his life which resulted in Nigeria securing a gold medal in 4 x 400m in Australia, four years later.

“Blessing Oborodudu’s heroics on the mat culminated in a much needed Olympics silver medal while two-time African Athletics Championship winner Seun Ogunkoya’s record in 100m remains intact since 1998”, Elegbeleye stated to support the choice of the chosen sports persons.

Supporting the inclusion of Paralympic athlete and coach, Patience Igbiti who clinched medals in consecutive Olympic Games, Elegbeleye remarked that”Patience’s consistency in Powerlifting got her Olympic Games medals in 2004 and 2008 before becoming a coach of repute.”

An indigene of Ondo State, one of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) mandate states, Elegbeleye said he is proud to be part of the region that has blazed the trail in regional games as a trigger for grassroots sports development.

The festival Ambassadors will be unveiled at a ceremony in Owerri, Imo State on Friday, March 7 and over 3000 athletes and 600 coaches from nine states would be in Uyo to compete for medals in 17 sports.

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Sports

Montage Community Football Tourney Registration Ends October 30

Published

1 day ago

October 22, 2026

The Gleamer

Cyril Ogar

Registration for the 2026 edition of the Montage Community Football Tournament will close on Friday, October 30, organisers have announced.

The tournament coordinator, Mr Raphael Ekpang, disclosed this on Thursday, urging interested teams across the six Area Councils of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to take advantage of the remaining days to register.

Ekpang said registration had been ongoing since Monday, encouraging eligible teams to complete the process before the deadline.

The tournament, themed “Montage FM 99.7: Empowering Youth, Uniting Communities Through Football,” is scheduled to kick off on November 3, 2026, with playoffs across the six Area Councils of the FCT.

The grand finale will hold on December 5, 2026, at the Old Parade Ground, Garki Area 10, Abuja, where the top four teams will compete for first-, second- and third-place honours.

A total of 48 teams will participate in the competition, with eight teams representing each of the six Area Councils.

The participating teams will compete for cash prizes worth over ₦2 million and other valuable rewards.

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