Women’s Criio festival attracts over 300 participants, says organiser

Posted : 24 October 2024

More than 300 girls are expected to participate in the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) Women’s Criio Festival, scheduled for Friday in Abuja.

Ehis Uadiale, the NCF coordinator for the event, said the festival, sanctioned by the International Cricket Council (ICC), aims to promote the game among women.

Uadiale, speaking at a news briefing ahead of the National Women’s Championship, revealed that Nigeria and Tanzania were the only African countries selected to pilot the programme.

“In 2023, the NCF was awarded the Best Female Initiative Programme by the ICC, which resulted from efforts to introduce the sport to over 25,000 girls in Zamfara.

“Following the national women’s team’s success at the African Games in Ghana and their qualification for the U19 World Cup in Malaysia, the ICC found Nigeria worthy to pilot the Criio programme.

“Criio is a concept by the ICC. It is a modified way of playing cricket, different from the usual hardball cricket. Criio means you can play cricket anywhere, even in your living room.

“With the aim of spreading the game among women, Nigeria and Tanzania were selected from African countries to pilot the programme,” Uadiale said.

The NCF official added that the festival would be replicated in other parts of the country to raise more awareness of the game.

“We are looking at incorporating the Criio Festival into the ongoing Women’s Championship since both are about women.

“We are inviting schools, with over 300 girls expected to participate. Even representatives of the ICC will be present at the event. It’s going to be fun, exciting, and worth the time.

“We also plan to replicate this in other parts of the country, but we are using Abuja to launch the programme.

“For us, this is recognition from the ICC because we have set a high standard for grassroots development, especially for women’s cricket, and we only hope to keep improving,” he said.

On her part, Adaora Sydney-Jack, the brand ambassador for women’s cricket, said the success of the women’s game has brought in more partners for the federation.

“Nigeria is seen as a priority country by the ICC, and this is due to the success of the women’s game. We have also addressed gaps related to the right partnerships, welfare, and support for female players.

“We have had many breakthroughs and calls from potential partners, and by January 2025, we expect to have three major new partners.

“I don’t want to reveal too much, but they are very significant.

“Some of them will be attending the Criio Festival, but the priorities go beyond just the Criio Festival or the Women’s Championship. They also extend to the U19 World Cup in 2025,” Sydney-Jack added.

Meanwhile, Sani Mohammed, the Secretary General of the federation, welcomed all participating teams to the Women’s Championship, advising them to adhere to the rules of fair play.

Teams from Anambra, Edo, Kogi, Gombe, Akwa Ibom, Lagos, Ekiti, and Kaduna are participating in the tournament, which is expected to conclude on Sunday at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium.

Women’s Criio festival attracts over 300 participants, says organiser

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