Sports

Naija VolleySoccer: Ijayapi Rocks pips Galadima FC to advance to final of maiden Edition of Volley Soccer Championship

Published

5 years ago

March 18, 2022

By: Abdulquadir Adedapo

History was made on Thursday evening in Abuja has the first-ever Volley Soccer tournament took place in Nigeria’s Nations capital as teams from the FCT squared up in a mini-tournament to officially launch the sports in the Country.

The first of its Kind type of sport, kickstart Volley Soccer is a hybrid of football and volleyball it sounds so strange, playing Volleyball with your feet, but it’s pretty cool. It has an interesting story of origin that truly shows how creative people can be in pursuit of what they want.

Volley soccer follows the basic rules of beach volleyball and the rules of the ball touching from football. Simply put, volley soccer is more or less like volleyball but players are not allowed to touch the ball and a football replaces the volleyball.

In the only game played yesterday at the Jabi Lake in Abuja, Galadima FC lost to a more creative and Versatile Ijayapi Rocks 2-0 with the lads from Ijayapi dominating the encounter to win in straight sets.

Speaking to Maxi Sports who are the official media partner of the Championship the duo of Sikiru Ismaila and Coach Dayo Fayemi of Galadima expressed delight in the opportunity given to them whilst also urging the organizers to create more awareness of the Sports.

“It’s a nice experience, the sports could help curb a whole lot of illicit activities in the society because it involves team coordination and the awareness must also be taken down to the rural communities, Sikiru Ismaila added.

Speaking also after how teams triumph head coach of Ijayapi Rocks, coach Jackson praises the organizers for birthing such lovely sports whilst he then urged Nigerians to adopt the game as it also teaches proper footballers how to control their game in real life.

Today Friday would see the second semifinals take place between Defense Strikers and Ijayapi FC Senior team by 4 pm as they hope to replicate the performance of their senior team ns reach the Finals on Sunday.

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Sports

Drogba, Amuneke, Eguavoen Lead African Legends’ Arrival in Lagos

Published

16 hours ago

November 7, 2026

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

With just one day to the much-anticipated Legends of Africa Football Game, Ivorian football icon Didier Drogba has arrived in Lagos, joining an impressive assembly of former African internationals already in the city ahead of Sunday’s star-studded encounter.

Drogba’s arrival further heightens anticipation for the game, which will bring together some of the continent’s most celebrated football figures at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan, Lagos.

Also in Lagos are Nigerian football greats Mobi Oparaku, Emmanuel Amuneke, Emmanuel Babayaro, Garba Lawal, Austin Eguavoen and Mutiu Adepoju, alongside other members of the legendary Super Eagles generations of 1994 and 1996.

The African contingent also features distinguished names including Togo’s Emmanuel Adebayor, Senegal’s El-Hadji Diouf, Ghana’s Stephen Appiah and Cameroon’s Rigobert Song, among other former international stars.

The excitement will extend beyond the legends’ reunion, with popular Nigerian entertainers and celebrities preparing for a special Celebrity Match as part of the event. Yhemolee, Sheggz, Jeriq, Teddy A and Charles Okocha are among the personalities set to feature in the celebrity fixture, scheduled to begin at 1:30pm.

The Celebrity Match will form part of a wider programme of activities designed to give fans a full day of football, entertainment and celebration before the main legends’ fixture, which kicks off at 5pm. Gates open at 1:30pm.

Organized by Toptier Sports Management in collaboration with Afreximbank and CANEX as part of CANEX WKND 2026, the game will feature 15 Nigerian legends taking on 13 African icons in a celebration of the players whose achievements helped shape the history of football on the continent.

Beyond the match, the programme includes a football clinic involving 500 young players, entertainment and special recognition for the heroes of African football.

The Legends of Africa Football Game promises a memorable gathering of football royalty, bringing together generations of fans to celebrate the enduring legacy of the continent’s finest players.

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