By: Gracious Akujobi The Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, has called up 30 players for the National U-13 camp billed to open in Akure, the Ondo state capital on Monday, 19 August 2013.
According to the National U-13/U-15 team secretary, Wale Adeyinka, invited players were picked from the 2012 National U-13 Youth Championship played last December in Abuja.
It would be recalled that the FCT U-13 team defeated their Ogun state counterparts 3 -1 to emerge the champions of the 2012 National U-13 Youth Championship, which featured eight teams, Sokoto, Edo, Kaduna, Imo, FCT, Ogun, Niger and Ekiti state.
Adeyinka further revealed that the four week training exercise would be strictly for U-13 players and that Invited players have been contacted and are expected to resume at the Love and Peace hotel in Akure, on Monday.
The U-13/U-15 youth development football programme was initiated by the NFF in 2009, with the aim of grooming young football talents of the right ages and also to reduce age-cheat in Nigeria football.
Meanwhile, Eze Chidera, Kelechi Iheanacho, Saliu Alibaba, and Taiwo Awoniyi are some of the products of the National U-13/U-15 programme that have graduated to the Golden Eaglets team of Nigeria.