Stakeholders in high expectations as Lagos Street Soccer kicks off in Lagos

Posted : 15 October 2023

As the much touted Lagos Street Soccer berths in Lagos, stakeholders have expressed high hopes that the competition would bring back the glory of grassroots development of football they have been yearning for.

The stakeholders gave their different opinions in an exclusive interview on the sidelines of the kick off of the Lagos Street Soccer Championships held at Obele Playground Lawanson, Lagos.

The Lagos Street Soccer Championships was eventually kicked off in Lagos with many stakeholders of the football fraternity in attendance.

The chairman of Lagos Street Soccer Championship Bolaji Yusuf said that Lagos should be ready exciting moment of street football with several talents registered for the tournament.

``The talents are here, this Lagos Street Soccer will experience a great turnaround and we expect great things that will keep our youths busy.

``We expect to have great talents emerge from this championship, because this is the cradle of grassroots football development which we also call Futsal.

``The opening ceremony today marks the beginning of the competition which we expect that will run for about 18 weeks in several centres in the state.

``The short term plan is to develop the talents and maybe in the future we might have futsal league that will emerge from the championship,'' he said.

Yusuf added: Futsal is a developmental part of football and countries that are doing well now have improve on their futsal games, countries like Brazil, Spain and others.

``We have put structures in place to monitor these players, we have a players committee that will look into their development.

``This year, we have U-15, but from next year, we will have U-10, we want to bring the age down so as to achieve the full potentials of the games.

``We want to identify and nurture our talents. These is street soccer because we want to take our youths off the street for the wrong reasons for better energy.

``Each street from these tournament take their names from the street they belong to,'' he said.

The co-chairman of the Lagos Street Soccer and Mayoress of Ikosi LCDA, Mrs Abolanle Bada said that the championships would keep to the level of vices among the youths to the lowest.

``We appreciate our Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State for this opportunity and also the Lagos State Football Association chairman Fuad Oki for this idea.

``This is an opportunity we have been craving for to engage our youths positively and take away vices from them through sports.

``In each Local government and LCDA we have 20 teams that will be playing and this is huge to see the large numbers,'' she said.

The Managing Director of Lagos State Assurance Company (LASACO) Mr Rasaq Abiodun said that the company was part of the football initiative because of its prospect of changing the dynamic of the football development in Lagos.

``We decided to join this party because we can see it's potentials, we are always ready to be identify with lofty ideas that will move Lagos forward because we are part of the development.

``This sporting affairs is targeted at the development of the youths and engaging them positively, hence we give our own support,'' he said.

Engr David Famuyiwa, the Chairman, Agbado Oke Odo LCDA also said that the youths in the various communities in the LCDA were battle ready for the showpiece.

Part of the activities at the kick off was an exhibition match which Gbongboti FC defeated Obele Community FC by 2-0

Stakeholders in high expectations as Lagos Street Soccer kicks off in Lagos

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