- Targets 20,000 Young Nigerians
Cohesion Empowerment Foundation has conducted draws for its Season 7 football tournament, holding in Union Bank Stable at Bode-Thomas, Surulere, Lagos, on December 17 and 18.
The ceremony, an impactful grassroots football initiative, brought together participating teams, coaches, supporters, volunteers, partners, and community stakeholders.
The tournament will feature 30 Under-15 male teams, 10 Under-13 male teams, and eight female teams, a total of 48 community teams.
Founder and Convener, Damilare Obagbemi, reflected on the journey since 2019 and reaffirmed the foundation’s commitment to empowering youths through football and education.
“We are committed to young children not just to play football but also to stay in school. In the last few years, we have impacted 5,000, bringing them together every year and giving them a platform to play, and the impact has been one step at a time”, he said.
He explained that with every edition, more talent is discovered, more hope is inspired, and more communities begin to believe in the power of football to change lives.
He hoped this edition would provide young athletes a bigger platform to grow, shine, and pursue their dreams.
Obagbemi noted that what began as a modest grassroots initiative has grown into one of Lagos State’s most recognised youth tournaments.
He added that the competition has evolved beyond football to promote character, unity, teamwork, and academic development.
Babagbemi said the foundation looks forward to financial sponsors for the event as the tournament has been made free for teams participation since Inception.
“The tournament is free to enter, with over a thousand children expected to converge for the event. Each team fields 15 players, accompanied by coaches and supporters”
“We are looking forward to impacting 5,000 to 20,000 lives of youths in Nigeria in the next five years,” Babagbemi said.
Also speaking at the draw was the Vice Chairman of the Lagos State Football Association, Mr. Dotun Coker, who commended the organisers for their consistency and commitment to grassroots development.
He stated that the tournament aligns with the association’s vision to discover and nurture young talents across Lagos and assured the organisers of continued support.
Head Coach Lagos State Football Association, Adeshina Yusuf praised the initiative noting that the tournament’s outreach to remote areas helps identify and nurture talent that might be unnoticed .
” Football can liberate a community but only if we pair it with education ,” he said
Coaches present at the draws expressed their readiness for the forthcoming tournament, bragging full force of winning the trophy.
