Nigeria Cricket Federation’s (NCF) grassroots development programme continues to draw the best of the country’s youths to the game through the projects lined up by the federation for that purpose.
One of such programmes is the PwC National U-17 Championship, which regional elimination round will begin on January 20.
According to the NCF General Manager, Emeka Igwilo, 58 teams have entered to participate in the fifth edition of the championship. He said the fifth edition has attracted more participation than expected, as the event continues to be one of the core events for the grassroots development effort.
“This year, 25 states have registered girls’ teams, while 33 boys’ teams are coming from the states for the scheduled zonal eliminations that are expected to run from January 20 to 28, 2024.”
Igwilo said that the zonal elimination will hold across six regions of the country simultaneously, adding that it would produce the regional finalists that would feature in the finals later in February in Abuja.
“One of the key things that this event has achieved for us is the continual supply of grassroots talent that eventually fills the national team’s spot. It also compliments all the efforts of our development officers across the country,” he added.
In total, 812 players are expected to participate in the regional elimination championship, which, among other things, raises the impact of the game across the country.
Also speaking on the championship, Partner and Corporate Responsibility Leader at PwC Nigeria, the title sponsors of the championship, Obioma Ubah, said that the firm’s involvement in developmental Cricket over the last five years has created an important avenue for the expression and promotion of such values as teamwork, leadership, and a deep sense of nationalism among the youth of Nigeria.
“We are impressed with our partnership with the Cricket Federation in the organisation of this championship. One success story is the fact that the event is one of the few with the highest gender inclusion percentage.
“In the last four years, 80 per cent of the participants have been girls. If you consider the national outlook of the event and the demography that it caters to, you will see the point of alignment with our values as a firm,” he said.
He noted that the event is one of the ways PwC Nigeria is bringing her purpose to life and making sustainable impact on a national scale.
The finals have been scheduled to hold from February 7 to 11 at the twin oval of the MKO Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.
