Sports

Naija Ratels Paulina Ali Reveals Key Moments On Her Path To Becoming Captain.

Published

5 years ago

May 4, 2021

Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL) Championship side Naija Ratels Captain Paulina Ali has shown real character as the leader of the team ever since she was made captain over two years ago.

The charismatic defender recently revealed how she started the round leather game as a kid and how her parents never supported her in the beginning.

The young player believes that she has grown as a leader and player in Naija Ratels and owes the club alot of responsibilities, reasons why she never left the club, despite receiving offers from some of the biggest teams in the NWFL Premiership.

“For me, Football is the only thing that makes me happy. Football is life and am glad I can do what I love doing here at Naija Ratels.

“I started out with volleyball and was very good at it, until one of my teachers at Padopads Secondary School, Makurdi convinced me to start playing soccer, probably because of my height. I fell in love with the game afterwards and never looked back.

“Just like many young women footballers, my parents never supported me playing football. My mum was always against it and punish me at times. But I was determined and wanted to achieve something great with the game and that pushed me to be where I am today, even though I know i still have a long way to go.

“I must confess that I have improved tremendously, both as a person and a player under Naija Ratels and we all have special love for the club and President, Barrister Paul Edeh, who stands as a father figure to all of us.

“We owe the club and the President alot and that’s why we are so dedicated and determined to always win all our games.

On being Captain of a Championship team at a very young age, Paulina said it has been tasking, but yet rewarding.

“Being a leader means you have to be always ready to lay down good examples. It has been tasking, but yet very rewarding. It has made me grow positively as a person and see life in a different perspective. It also makes me work harder on the pitch, because I always want to win games and excel in everything I do and this is the same mentality I pass on to every member of the team.”

“I have told the girls that they need to do something extra- ordinary when the Championship season starts. We know our aim and our ability as dedicated and hardworking players will always stand out and work for us. We are focused and only aiming at setting a great record.” She concluded.

Naija Ratels will be playing in the NWFL Championship season later this year and will be aiming at gaining promotion to the elite league at their first trial.

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Sports

Tinubu, Fashola, Governors, UNESCO, Sports Leaders to Headline National Grassroots Sports Summit

Published

24 hours ago

October 29, 2026

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

The stage is being set for a landmark gathering at the Presidential Villa as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former Lagos State Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, and leading figures from government, sports administration and international development feature in the proposed opening-day programme of the National Grassroots Sports Development Summit 2026.

In a statement signed by Thursday by the Chairperson Media Sub-com National Grassroot Sports Summit Dr. (Mrs.) Kehinde Ajayi stated that, the two-day Summit, scheduled for November 18–19, 2026, at the Banquet Hall, State House, Presidential Villa, Abuja, is being organized by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Grassroots Sports Development, Hon. Adeyinka Anthony Adeboye.

With the theme “Creating a New Pathway for Sustainable Grassroots Sports Development,” the gathering seeks to produce practical solutions to Nigeria’s longstanding challenges in talent discovery, infrastructure, funding, coaching and athlete development.

The opening day, Wednesday, November 18, promises high-level engagement, with President Tinubu listed as Special Guest of Honour, while Fashola is scheduled to deliver a keynote address.

Also featuring in the Day One programme is Dr. Tayo Aduloju, Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), whose organization has been engaged as technical partner to help translate discussions into a workable development roadmap.

Other personalities and institutions on the opening-day lineup include the Chairman and Director-General of the National Sports Commission, Mallam Shehu Dikko and Hon. Bukola Olopade; the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum; the President of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON); and the Head of Office and UNESCO Representative to Nigeria.

Also listed are Barrister Enitan Oshodi, President of the African Table Tennis Federation; the President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee; and Dr. Musa Nakorji of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Research Department.

The involvement of these personalities reflects the Summit’s emphasis on connecting sports development with economic planning, education, grassroots governance, international cooperation and private-sector investment.

Adeboye described the gathering as an opportunity to move Nigerian sports beyond isolated achievements towards a coordinated national development system.

“The real question is not whether Nigeria has sporting talent.
We know we have talent in abundance. The question is how we build a system that discovers, nurtures and supports that talent consistently, from our communities and schools to the international stage,” he said.

He stressed that the participation of state governments, local councils, development institutions and sports administrators would be critical to producing lasting outcomes.

The Summit will continue on Thursday, November 19, with further stakeholder engagements aimed at developing actionable recommendations for sustainable grassroots sports development with preparations intensifying, organizers are confident that the gathering will provide a defining platform for strengthening the foundation of Nigerian sports and expanding opportunities for young people nationwide.

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