More stakeholders in the sports sector in Bayelsa State have hailed the continuous progress and the sustenance of Nigeria’s biggest grassroots football tournament, christened “Prosperity Cup”.
The Bayelsa Governor’s Football Tournament tagged the Prosperity Cup season seven will have three categories, namely male, female and the para category, with N50 Million up for grabs for the winners.
Some of the stakeholders in an interview with the Prosperity Cup media, commended the governor for the expansion of the tournament, particularly the inclusion of the women and the para soccer versions.
Director General of new media to the governor, Dr Kola Oredipe, said the tournament has over the years contributed to the development of football in the country, pointing out that the governor’s “ASSURED” mantra for sports is a clear indication of the Prosperity administration’s passion for sports.
Dr. Oredipe noted that the tournament has exposed many youths in the state, stating that the governor has in the last five years given every sport in the state premium attention.
Tournament Director, Mr. Perela Aboroson, asserted that the Prosperity Cup has positively impacted the lives of youths in the state, pointing out that beyond winning trophies, the tournament has given young players a means of livelihood.
Reflecting on the successes recorded in the previous edition, Mr Aboroson believes that with the N50m prize money, the showpiece will witness unprecedented improvement compared to other editions of the tournament.
He hinted that five players from the tournament scouting programme would be leaving Bayelsa for Lithuania, Malta and Turkey this month for greener pastures, adding that the spectacle this year would accommodate three professional players in each team.
Ex Nigerian international Jossy Dombraye expressed satisfaction with the standard of play in the tournament, saying the N50M prize for the showpiece speaks volumes of the governor’s deliberate efforts to make Bayelsa a hub for sports.
He noted that the current generation of players were lucky to have the governor’s cup and the scouting programmes to showcase their talents.
In his comments, the Technical Adviser of Bayelsa United FC, Ladan Bosso, remarked that Governor Douye Diri deserves commendation for taking the competition to a more appreciable level, stressing that the tournament serves as a perfect avenue to scout for players in the various local government areas in the state.
According to him, the Football Tournament is one platform that has kept the youths busy, as crime and other negative vices associated with the youths are reduced to the barest minimum during the period of the tournament.
He explained that the increase in the prize money would generate more interest in the competition and equally help to consolidate the achievements recorded by the state-owned teams, especially Bayelsa Queens in women’s football in Nigeria.
A member of the board of Bayelsa United and President Independent Grassroots Development Association of Nigeria,( IGDA) Ambassador Miebi Ogunu, noted that the Prosperity Cup has taken grassroots football to new heights.
Ambassador Ogunu, equally urged multinational oil companies, financial institutions, the organized private sector as well as well-meaning Bayelsans to get involved in the tournament.
