The 2023 Lagos Street Soccer Championship promises a season of good football and scouting opportunity for football clubs, agents and national youth team coaches looking for fresh talents from the grassroots, the organisers have said.
The competition kicked off at the Obele Oniwala Mini Stadium, Surulere, at the weekend, with ceremonial games featuring invited teams. According to the chairman of the organising committee, Bolaji Yusuf, the five-a-side championship both male and female teams, is targeted at discovering the hidden football talents at the grassroots.
Yusuf said the teams in the event were drawn from the 57 councils and LCDAs in Lagos State, adding: “The opening ceremony of the championship will give spectators a preview of what to expect in the coming weeks.
“Draws for the teams would be conducted soon to usher in 16 weeks of hostilities,” he said, while disclosing that the organisers want to use the event to redirect youths’ mindset towards more meaningful endeavours, while fostering social inclusion and community cohesion across the state.
“To drive social integration, community cohesiveness, stem the prevalence of drugs, cultism, gangsterism and crime in our communities, a springboard for boy and girl-child to showcase their innate talents, and promote the significance of sports and education remain our core values in the Lagos Street Soccer Championship,” Yusuf said.
