…Customized tournament football unveiled
By Friday Obanor
The much publicized second edition of the Betsy Obaseki Women Football Tournament kicked off in Benin City, the Edo State capital on Wednesday amidst fanfare with a draw conducted for participating teams into groups of four as well as the unveiling of a customized branded football for the competition.
The tournament which is the biggest football pre- season game recognized by the Nigeria Football Federation ( NFF) is the only football event in the history of Nigerian football whether in the male and female categories that has gained accolades both nationally and internationally.
The 13 clubs which were drawn into four groups are expected to do battle with each other for the prize money of N5million between September 8 through 17, 2022, while an interlude of sideline seminar entitled “Say No To Drug Abuse” would hold on September 15, 2022.
The seminar according to the initiator of the tournament would play host to wives of the 36 State Governors in Nigeria, while officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) will be the chief facilitators of the talk show.
Speaking at the venue of the colorful draw for the game on Wednesday night, the initiator of the championship and wife of the Edo State Governor, Mrs. Betsy Obaseki, said the essence of the competition is to engage our young girls and boys to say no illicit use of drugs, adding that drug abuse is becoming a social menace in society.
She lamented that drug abuse is beginning to wear the look of a pandemic amongst our youths and more worrisome is the fact that both the unmarried and married people in our society are fast getting involved in the unwholesome act.
Disclosing that the prize money for this year’s tournament stands at N5million as against last year’s #3million, Mrs. Obaseki revealed the increment became necessary to make it more attractive even as she said that a customized branded football will be used throughout the duration of the championship.
Other prizes money for the event are; runners up N3 million, third place N1.5, while consolation prize money would be given to other participating teams.
Highpoint of the event was the unveiling of the branded customized football for the event which had BOWFT crested on it.
