2024 season: Imo Striker Queens gear up for NWFL Championship

Posted : 26 August 2024

Imo Striker Queens on Monday announced that the club is gearing up for their second appearance in the Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL) Championship, following their debut season last year in Ikenne.

Head Coach Nelly Orisakwe expressed optimism that the lessons learned from their previous campaign would help the team secure promotion to the top-flight league this season.

Reflecting on their first experience, Orisakwe noted, “Our focus is to come out with the promotion ticket because last year was our first time in the Championship in Ikenne. It was a very good experience because it exposed us to many things we didn’t know.

“That tournament was the first time almost all my girls had their first outing in a tournament like that. It was an eye-opener for them and for me as well. Our focus is to come back with the promotion ticket. We have been working on our lapses from the last Championship, and we hope to get it right this time around.”

However, the team will be missing one of their key players, Chidi Harmony, who is currently with the Nigeria U-17 Women’s national team in preparation for the 2024 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.

Orisakwe acknowledged the impact of Harmony’s absence but remains confident in her other players. “We will miss her as one of our key players who will not be participating in the Championship,” Orisakwe said. “Definitely, her absence will be felt, but there is nothing one can do. We have to rely on the other players because we also have good strikers apart from Harmony. I believe by the special grace of God, they will make the team proud because we are working on them seriously so that they can play without noticing Harmony’s absence.”

Imo Striker Queens have demonstrated their potential by winning several grassroots competitions, including the Sheroes Cup and the 2023 Ifeanyi Chiejine Memorial Cup. The team has also recently launched a feeder team to nurture young talents from primary schools.

Orisakwe emphasized their commitment to developing homegrown talent, stating, “We don’t believe in ready-made players because we can groom the young ones to become what we want them to be. We still believe in our players. They are the ones we are using. We work more on them. We don’t go for ready-made players. We believe in the products that we have, and I know they will never fail. We will keep developing them because we now have the feeder team with players from primary schools. From there, those who perform well will be promoted to the main team.”

The team faces challenges in preparation due to a lack of competitive fixtures in the East, and Orisakwe recounted the scarcity of women’s teams in the region compared to the South West, where there are more opportunities for competitive play. “In the East, we don’t have many teams to play against, unlike in the South West where there are many women’s teams. The only women’s teams we have here are a few amateur teams: the Premiership side, Heartland Queens, and Abia Angels, who are currently on break. We don’t have many games to play. There is a tournament organized by the South East, and we have involved the girls to maintain their fitness. That is the only tournament we are participating in.”

Imo Striker Queens will be aiming to secure one of the promotion tickets this season, following the promotion of Remo Stars Ladies and Sunshine Queens from Group B last season. Achieving promotion would increase the number of private clubs in the NWFL Premiership.

2024 season: Imo Striker Queens gear up for NWFL Championship

ADD A COMMENT :

Hot Topics