Over 200 U-13 football players from the Federal Capital Territory will take part in the 2017 edition of the FOSLA Academy Scholarship programme holding on this weekend at the School playing ground in Karshi Abuja.
According to the Coordinator of the Programme Patrick Ngwaogu, the one day tournament will involve U-13 teams from the six Area Councils of the Federal Capital Territory, and Karshi.
“We are expecting over 200 U-13 Players from the six Area Councils of FCT including Karshi which is our catchment Area to take part in the tournament. The players must be within the ages of 10 to 13 years, and must be in Primary 5 or 6. Each of the Area Councils will present 20 players.
“The tournament is for both boys and girls. They would take part in the football tournament, where a group of coaches/technical men would be on ground to pick the best players that will take part in the second and final phase of the programme. Trophies, gifts and cash prizes would also be won by the teams”.
Continuing, Ngwaogu who is also the Board Secretary of the Academy said “we expect about 25 male and 10 female players to be selected at the end of the tournament. They are expected to join those that have been selected from the Kogi State version of the tournament to participate in the final phase and writing the school’s common entrance examination slated for 22nd of April”.
He said that the lucky players would be given the Academy’s scholarship which runs through their secondary and possibily tertiary education. “the lucky students would resume with the fee paying students from JSS 1 in September . FOSLA Academy also admit other fee paying students. Such candidates would also take part in the common entrance examination”.
FOSLA Academy which was established 2011 by the former President of Nigeria Football Fedration Alhaji Sani Lulu Abdullahi has over 100 students, which 80 percent are scholarship. The first set of students from the Academy will seat for the 2017 senior secondary school examinations.
The Academy has in the last one year played up to the finals of the Shell/NNPC organized All Nigeria Secondary School Football Competition, the EtisalatU-15 Football Competition, and won bronze medal at the COPA/Cocacola U-15 Football Competition.
At the 2016 NNPC/Shelll Football Cup competition, the Academy’s Head boy Solomon Abraham emerged the highest goal scorer with nine goals, the Captain, Andrew Onyeke emerged the best defender of tournament while Joseph Ejeh emerged the Most Valueable player of the tournament, and was sponsored to a training tour of Feynood Football Club in Holland by the organizers.
Also, Chidera Prosper Ojukwu emerged as the Highest goal scorer and Most Valueable player of the both the COPA/Cocacola and Etisalat U-15 competitions scoring 32 goals in both competitions
