Principal, Greensprings Secondary School, Lekki campus, Alabi Deborah, has stressed the need for female students to participate in sports; saying a blend of academic prowess and sporting excellence are required in children’s upbringing.

She spoke at a recent female empowerment tournament, organised in conjunction with the Rising Female Footballers (RFF), held at the school premises in Lekki, Lagos.

She disclosed that the idea of organising the football competition was championed by two female students of the school and was targeted at promoting and encouraging girls’ involvement in sports.

She said; “It is actually the brainchild of two of our children- Ifeoluwapo Owoigbe and Munachiso Emeghara.  They thought of bringing up female footballers because that is usually not a regular thing. Most schools have male football teams, but the female football teams are generally undermined. So, their dream was to get a female football team and as soon as they put their idea forward, we embraced it.”

She assured that the school would sustain the initiative by training more girls who would be sport-oriented.

“We not only focus on academics, although that is our core competence, we also pledge to parents to deliver a total child. We know that students are gifted in different things such as sports, music and dance, among others,” Deborah stated.

In her remarks, Owoigbe, who is in her year 11, explained that the motive behind the RFF tournament was to showcase the talents that young girls across different backgrounds have in football.

On her part, Emeghara lamented that there are insufficient opportunities for girls when it comes to participating in sports.

She said, “With this, we are trying to create a platform for girls in the area of sports, for self-discovery and to unlock potential.”

She urged the government to give adequate attention to sports development in the country.

The participating schools in the tournament were Leadfortegate College, Lekki; Segun Odegbami International College and Sports Academy; Atlantic Hall School, Epe; Iwerekun Community Senior Secondary School, Lekki; Attwool College, Lekki; Flourish Hall School, Lekki; Corona Secondary School, Agbara and Gracesprings Secondary School, Lekki.