As part of efforts to ensure that Nigeria parades a formidable team at the coming Football Fives World Championship (F5WC), tagged “Beijing 2017”, the Local Organising Committee (LOC) in Nigeria has resolved to allow more teams to participate in the national qualifiers which kicks off in November 2016 in centres across the country.
According to him, 32 teams who made it from the national qualifiers will proceed to the national finals where they will be placed in eight groups of four teams each to determine who emerges Nigeria’s champion at a centre yet to be named.
"For the 2017 edition which plans to be the biggest in terms of participation and nationwide reach out, the LOC is taking the qualifiers to almost all the states in Nigeria, making it a Pan Nigerian event. The qualifiers are expected to last for two months, kicking off in November and ending in December 2016.
"The competition is designed to promote youth football at the grassroots and to make the 5-Aside football more popular with the support of other corporate organisations. We hope to have an interesting tournament and at the end the winners will be handsomely rewarded for their efforts." He said.
The team that will emerge champions will enjoy all paid flights, hotels, local transport, feeding expenses while in Beijing courtesy of F5WC as well as full country specific home and away kits.
De Royals Football Club of Gbagada Lagos are the defending champions, having won the two past editions back-to-back; in 2014 and 2015 which witnessed the registration of 144 teams and about 1000 players nationwide respectively
Football Fives World Championship is the World's largest 5-Aside tournament founded in 2014, created and managed by Sports Event International Worldwide, specifically for amateur players aged 16 and above from all over the world who share the love of football.
No comments: