500 Secondary Schools to feature In Lagos State Principal Cup Championship

Posted : 26 October 2023

The Lagos State Principal Cup Committee is optimistic about organizing a world-class football competition for secondary school students in the state as the tournament is set to kick off next month across the state's six educational districts.

Its Chairman, Rasaq Ajala, made this revelation while addressing sports journalists and other sports stakeholders at a media briefing held at the Ivory Health Club, Off Allen, Ikeja.

Ajala assured that the committee would not relent in its efforts to add value to the competition, which has a history spanning over sixty years.

Ajala, who also serves as the Executive Chairman of Odi Olowo Local Council Development Area (LCDA), emphasized that the history of football development in Nigeria wouldn't be complete without mentioning the Principal Cup, which has discovered great players such as Peter Rufai, Stephen Keshi, Samson Siasia, Henry Nwosu, Tajudeen Disu, Waheed Akanni, and others.

While acknowledging the efforts of the Lagos State Football Association (LSFA) in rejuvenating one of the oldest grassroots competitions, the Committee's leader explained that the Principal Cup would provide an opportunity to discover talented football players who could be exposed to top-flight football leagues.

"We have decided to include female football players from secondary schools in the tournament, and it will be divided into two categories: Junior and Senior Secondary.

"32 teams will be drawn into 8 groups, with the top two schools in each group qualifying for the round of 16.

"The Committee has also introduced the Principal Cup Handbook, which contains the competition's rules and regulations, for all the 500 participating schools expected to take part in the games," he said.

According to him, the tournament, designed for both public and private secondary schools, will see eight teams from private secondary schools qualifying for the playoffs, while twenty-four teams from public schools will advance to the round of 32.

While commending Governor Babajide Olushola Sanwo-Olu for raising the standard of sports in the state, the Committee thanked LSFA boss, Fouad Oki, for supporting the Committee in revitalizing the Principal Cup.

He also mentioned that the Committee, in collaboration with LSFA, has decided to partner with Lagos Television (LTV) with the intention of broadcasting the matches live.

500 Secondary Schools to feature In Lagos State Principal Cup Championship

ADD A COMMENT :

Hot Topics