July 09, (THEWILL) – It was an eventful week in Yenagoa as the 5th Governor Diri International Scouting Programme/Coaching Clinic climaxed in a pulsating final match involving twenty-seven players screened from over Five hundred players selected during the preliminary round of Nigeria’s biggest grassroots football tournament tagged the Prosperity Cup.
The week-long event had over ten foreign scouts from Finland, Sweden, Lithuania, and Turkey in attendance as well as the Nigeria U-20 coach and President of the Nigeria Football Coaches Association, Isah Bosso, and other former internationals invited for the programme, and afforded players converged at the Samson Siasia Stadium the opportunity to showcase their talents.
The Governor Diri International Scouting Program/Clinic kicked off on Monday, July 1, 2024, with a medical checkup for the coaches and other participants before the start of the coaching clinic which lasted two days at the Golden Tulip Hotel and Resort, Onopa-Yenagoa.
Grassroots coaches in the State were equipped with contemporary coaching techniques by the scouts ahead of the Round of 32 matches which resumed on Sunday, July 7, 2024, across designated centres.
Some of the coaches who spoke to Prosperity Cup media, thanked the organisers of the tournament for the initiative, saying that the clinic has impacted their careers positively and they are ready to give back to their players when the Round of 32 matches commence.
Organisers of the tournament, led by Director General, Mr. Ono Akpe, and the international scouts visited the Deputy Governor, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, at the Government House, to inform him of the progress of the programme and commiserate with him on the death of his elder brother, Dr Jonathan Ewhrudjakpo.
The Deputy Governor, in his remark, called for collaboration between organisers of the Prosperity Cup/international scouts and the Bayelsa State Sports Academy, Asoama in order to utilise the facility to its maximal potential, stressing that the State Government was ready to give more refresher courses to local coaches to become better gaffers.
While appreciating the organisers of the tournament for the success recorded in the competition, the Deputy Governor remarked that the tournament has come to stay, describing the competition as a powerful vehicle for discovering talents at the grassroots.
Two of the scouts, Hilary Azodo, CEO, OTP Finland, and Glenn Stahl, a UEFA Pro Licensed Coach, expressed their gratitude to the Bayelsa State Government for giving the youths a platform to realise their potential.
The international scouts equally presented branded OTP of Finland jerseys to Ewhrudjakpo, Governor Douye Diri, and the Commissioner for Sports Development, Dr. Daniel Igali.
Also, the week in retrospect witnessed the draws for the 2nd edition of the female version of the Prosperity Cup held at the Samson Siasia Stadium with the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Sports Development, Grace Alagoa, as the Special Guest of Honour and the scouts doing the honour of picking the draws.
In 2023, Golden Sun Sports Club defeated Crystal Stars Football Club 3-0 to emerge champions of the Female Edition. This year, twenty-two teams registered for the spectacle which were divided into groups “A” and “B” for the draws.
Over five hundred players are jostling for glory in the female edition of the Bayelsa Governor’s Football Tournament which kicked off on Sunday, July 7, 2024, in their respective centres.
Nigeria’s biggest grassroots football tournament organizers equally presented “etibo”, a native Ijaw attire, to all the scouts, which further portrayed the hospitable nature of the hosts and projected the culture of the Ijaw people.
Another highpoint of the draws saw fifty grassroots coaches issued certificates for participating in the 5th Governor Douye Diri International Scouting Program/Coaching Clinic at the Samson Siasia Stadium.
The scouting exercise was wrapped up with a novelty match between organisers of the Prosperity Cup and the international scouts at the Doncort Hotel “5” a-side pitch which ended four all draw with Hon. Inikou Bonny-Ayah adding his name to the score sheet and the Commissioner for Sports Development, Daniel Igali, scoring a brace.
Former Lithuanian national team goalkeeper, Malina Mindaugas, won the Man of the Match award with his heroic saves. His counterpart at the other end and Director General of the Prosperity Cup fared no less as he also stood as a Rock of Gibraltar between the attacking scouts and his net.
As the Prosperity Cup resumes with R32 matches, expectations are high in every camp with all eyes on the trophy and fans equally excited about watching their darling teams express themselves beautifully on the pitch.
The grand finale of the tournament is billed for Saturday, July 20, 2024.
Amos Okioma is a Correspondent at THEWILL
