Sports
Waldorf Knoll Academy Emerges Winner Of High School Football Tournament In Abuja
Joel Ajayi
It was a lively atmosphere and explosive encounter among the eight secondary schools in the federal capital territory at the Maiden edition of Waldorf Knoll Academy Secondary School Football Tournament 2023 as the tournament ended in Grand style with Waldorf Knoll Academy’s overall winner.
The grassroots football tournament among the secondary school took place on Saturday at the serene premises of Waldorf Knoll Academy pitch, where the players displayed their skill and talent to the core.
The participating school includes Waldorf Knoll Academy, Starfield College, HHH Foundation, Glisten International Academy, Aduvie International School, Famaks British School El-Amin International School, and Noble Guide Academy
Indeed, the record-breaking tournament is coming just two days after Football Stakeholders gathered in Abuja to commit to FIFA’s new talent discovery and nurturing initiatives.
In one day event, a total of 15 games were played, and at the end of a fierce encounter, the Waldorf Knoll Academy beat HHH Foundation Academy 2-0 in the game’s final to win the first edition of the championship in Nigeria’s national capital city.
Young players who represented Waldorf Knoll Academy are unbeaten and played a total of five games and scored a total number of 10 goals to show supremacy over the other seven secondary schools in the tournament.
On Waldorf Knoll Academy’s way to the final in the first game, the young lads defeated Starfield College 2-0, pipped HHH Foundation College 1-0 went ahead to come from 2 goals down to secure a 3-2 victory over Glisten International Academy secure semifinal ticket.
At the semifinal, Waldorf Knoll Academy defeated Mariam Babangida school El-Amin International School 2-0 and zoomed to the final to secure it out with HHH Foundation academy
At the final game, Waldorf Knoll Academy came smoking scoring 2 goals to lift the first edition of the Waldorf Knoll Academy High School Football Tournament.
In the third game played earlier, the Aduvie International School defeated El-Amin International School to win the third position.
At the end of one one-day tourney Certificates of participation were given to all the eight high schools.
In the individual awards, Useni Yayaha from Aduvie International School won Most Valuable Player MVP of the tournament
While best Best Goalkeeper award goes to Yasiru Yusuf HHH Foundation Academy
Moses Yakubu of Waldorf Knoll Academy emerged highest goal scorer after scoring 4 goals for his school.
in his remark, the Special Guest of Honour and former Vice President of Nigeria Football Federation, Alhaji Shehu Dikko said some young talents who have been identified would be recommended to some good football academies to nurture to stardom.
Sports
Plateau Vipers, Benue Queens Crowned Champions at HFN North Central Division One Tourney
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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