Joel Ajayi

Abuja the nation’s capital city came alive on Tuesday as National Women’s Cricket Championship commenced in Abuja, featuring eight participating states from across the six geopolitical zones. Edo, Gombe, Ekiti, Lagos, Kaduna, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, and Kogi.

To this end, the first ever Criiio Festival with aim of promoting the cricket among the women will also take center stage this Saturday.
As matter of fact, the International Cricket Council (ICC) thumbed NCF in making the country the fastest-growing cricket nation in the world.

Just few weeks ago, the NCF announced the maiden edition of eveng that could be described as largest-ever Super Cricket Festival, that is meant to bring together between 600 to 1,000 female secondary school students at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, this October as way of creating more awareness for tge Game.

Now the stage is set for tge event that will bring together over 1,000 school girls in Abuja for a fun-filled event, held alongside the National Women’s Championship.

The two important event is put in place by the Nigeria Cricket Federation for awareness and investment as well as competition among the players.

While speaking the aprrss Confeence on Monday in Abuja, President of Federation Uyi Akpata who was represented by Secretary General of the Federation, Sanni Mohammed, revealed that the event is the culmination of the zonal elimination that had gone on at different cricket clusters across the nation.

“This is the national finals for the women’s focused developmental initiatives that had gone on from the first quarter of the year. It is just interesting that it is coming at this period that we had just qualified for the ICC Women’s U19 World Cup in Malaysia.

About 140 players from zonal finals in Lagos, Ekiti, Kogi, Kaduna, Gombe, Edo, Akwa Ibom, and Anambra states will join top cricket officials across the nation for the Women’s Championship.

“We are also using this event to hone the game’s administrative skills, including umpiring, scoring, and growing our coaching and live broadcasting capacities..”

Speaking on Criiio Festival, Uyi Akpata expressed: “We are launching a super female involvement in cricket through a modified format. This will be part of the Women’s Cricket Festival, where we will gather between 600 to 1,000 school girls in Abuja for a fun-filled event, held alongside the National Women’s Championship.

“We are also bringing together some of the best female cricketers in the country, with ICC women representatives in attendance. This template will be replicated across other regions of Nigeria.

“The ICC has identified two countries in Africa; Nigeria and Rwanda to lead this initiative, based on our achievements in promoting women’s cricket. We have won global and continental awards in this area, and the fruits of our investment are already beginning to show”.

He stated that, the rate of growth and the success being achieved through developmental efforts have also raised the potential for the game of cricket by providing part-time jobs, and career paths for the youths.

On her own, the Brand Ambassador for Women’s Cricket in Nigeria, Adaora Sydney-Jack highlighted that the Criiio Festival would showcase the essence of the sport, making it an opportunity for the private sector to recognize the value of investing in women’s cricket.

One of the world-class broadcaster, Adaora Onyechere Sydney-Jack, expressed her commitment to using her experience in community journalism to raise awareness for the game. She said:”When I look at women’s cricket in Nigeria, I see a bright future. If we take lessons from countries like India, South Africa, and Australia, we can see how they have succeeded through strategic partnerships.

“As a brand ambassador, I will focus on building strategic partnerships and community development, where cricket can play a significant role. I plan to leverage my platform in community journalism to drive this awareness

Talking about the expectations of the game, the Captains of the participating states who spoke explained the progress of Cricket in their various state and their desire to do more all boasted that they are going to win the tournament.

Captains from some of the participating teams shared their expectations ahead of the tournament, expressing their hopes for strong performances and competitive play.

However, the five-day tournament at the Criiio Festival is anticipated to create a festive atmosphere while fostering public-private partnerships in support of women’s cricket.

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