It was a befitting end to the annual National Director Cup of the SOS Children’s Villages played at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan, Lagos, with Team Lagos winning the final game 2-0 against Team Jos.
The final game saw the captain of Team Lagos, Shuaib Akinwande, scoring two goals in the second half to emerge champion of the 2024 edition of the tournament.
Speaking with reporters, the Chief Programme Officer at SOS Children’s Villages, Ayodeji Adelopo, who represented the National Director, Eghosa Erhumwunse, said it was a befitting end to a competition that started August this year with the Regional Preliminaries from all SOS Children’s Villages locations – Abuja, Plateau, and Borno programmes competed in the Northern region, while Lagos, Ogun, Edo, and Oyo programs battled in the Southern region for a place in the finals.
“It has been an interesting time since the start of the competition, this was born out of the vision of the National Director, Eghosa Erhumwunse, who believes that we can harness the strength of our young people and leverage their interests in sports, particularly football, to help them build competencies and life skills that would also improve their confidence as individuals and also make them capable and compassionate young people even as they develop in their community,” he said.
“I would say that in all, we have seen many young people come to discover their talents. We’ve seen young people learn to work together and social connections being built.”
When asked about the future of the kids especially those who took part in the final, Adelopo said with the interest that the government has shown the young people, they will know that yes, there is a future for them in pursuing their chosen career, whether it be a professional career or even in sports.
He added: “Most importantly for us it’s the fact that young people have realized that they can build a connection with one another and they can also improve their self-esteem by taking advantage of the opportunities that we have given them by expressing their talents.
“When it comes to exploring the potential that young people have in sports, we are looking at working with other stakeholders, including the sports ministry, some of the talents being discovered, they might have further opportunities going forward.”
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