Category: Sports

Oyo Unveils Pacesetter Queens FC, Aims to Shape Future of Female Football.

 

By Adewale Owoade

 

The Oyo State government has officially launched Pacesetter Queens Football Club, a pioneer female football team.

 

 

The State Commissioner for Youths and Sports, Wasilat Adegoke, unveiled the team’s leadership, jersey, and logo during a press conference.

 

 

The Commissioner emphasized that the unveiling is a strategic move to reawaken the vision, realign values, and rebrand the identity of female football in Oyo State. She charged the incoming officials to build a strong foundation and encouraged young female footballers to represent the state with passion and purpose.

 

 

“‎We are therefore gathered here today to unveil more than just a logo or leadership, we are here to announce a reawaken of our vision and realignment of our value and a rebranding of our identity as a female football club that is determined to break new ground.

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‎” This unveiling is not just ceremonial it is strategic; it is our declaration and that we are not just participating in female football, we are shaping it future.

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‎” Our incoming officials, we welcome you and charge you with this mission, to build a strong foundation that would stand the test of time, you have our full confidence in the Ministry of Youth and Sports and Oyo State Government at large.

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‎” To our young female footballers that would be wearing the jersey with pride, I encourage you to add virtue with passion and purpose with the knowledge that you are representing the whole soccer community in Oyo State,” Adegoke said

 

 

The Commissioner while commending stakeholders who collaborated with the ministry to establish of female football team, revealed that the leadership were selected based on experience, potential and shared commitment to nurturing talents, strengthening club operations and elevating women’s game.

 

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‎In his acceptance speech, the Head coach of Pacesetter Queens football club, Akinwumi Obajinmi, pledged to build a competitive, confident and committed team that embodying true spirit of Oyo State.

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The newly appointed leadership include First Assistant Coach, Damilola Olaitan Badmus, Second Assistant Coach, Zaccheaus Aderoju, Physical Trainer Lateef Lukman, FIFA-badged Goalkeeper Trainer, Foluso Ajayi, and Welfare Officer Miss Grace Towobola.

 

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‎The event was attended by football stakeholders including Chairman, Oyo State Football Association, Oba James Odeniran, ex-international, Mutiu Adepoju and top officials of the ministry.

No fewer than 250 golfers to participate in 8th Sovereign Trust Insurance Tournament

 

By Oluwaseyi Oduneye-Ogunwomoju

 

No fewer than 250 golfers will participate at the 8th edition of the Sovereign Trust Insurance Golf Tournament at the Ibadan Golf Club.

The tournament will tee off on March 7 and end March 9.

Chairman, Local Organising Committee, Chief Babajide Olatunde-Agbeja said the tournament has come to stay after years of absence due to COVID-19 restrictions.

“This year’s tournament is going to be very different because the company has become more successful and outstanding, and now, they are celebrating their 30th anniversary of existence as first class insurance company.

“We expect the tournament to be an outstanding tournament because we are celebrating STI at 30th. We are also celebrating Ibadan Golf Club which has continued to roll out tournament after tournament to encourage people to stay healthy because we all know health is wealth.

 

“This year’s edition will be more competitive, and we have the professionals around Ibadan playing on Friday (today) and the tournament proper on Saturday and Sunday,” Olatunde-Agbeja said.

According to Sovereign Trust Insurance Head of Corporate Communications/Brand Management, Segun Bankole, said his organisation’s intervention and collaboration were aimed at opening up new opportunities.

Bankole added that STI’s collaboration with IGC is not based solely on financial gratification but an avenue to open the new phase of opportunity with the golfing community in Nigeria.

“We are back here to celebrate something phenomenal in the last eight years, though we have some set of gaps due to COVID.

“We will continue to associate with IGC brand, and whatever we have been given out, it’s been used judiciously not by us alone but other corporate individuals.

Captain of IGC, Mr Seyi Alaba, said all the arrangements to make the golf championship a huge success have been put in place.

“This is the 8th edition, and I’m happy that STI has kept its unbroken promise of sponsorship.

“We are fully prepared as about 250 amateur golfers will be participating, and I believe that they are going to enjoy themselves on the course,” Alaba said.

Inter-house Sports Competition, a viable platform for child development, talent hunt – Stakeholders

By Olatunde Ajayi

The importance of blending sporting activities with classroom learning for children has been identified as a viable tool in ensuring that students are properly developed in all aspects.

Highlighting the benefits of integrating sporting activities into school curriculum, the Head Mistress, Scared Heart Catholic Private School Ibadan, Rev. Sr. Vivian Iribhogbe, said that school sports also avails the nation the opportunity for talent hunting.

Iribhogbe spoke during 32nd Inter-House Sports Competition of the school held at the school playing ground in Ibadan.

She described sports as important aspect of every being’s life that helps in improving human health as well as teaching life good qualities like discipline, hard work, patience, respect and teamwork.

“As a school, we strive to ensure that our pupils attain the afore-mentioned skills by participating in extra-curricular activities throughout the year.

“We should not dwell in the winning and losing aspects of sports, instead we must intimate pupils to participate more in gaining experience and attaining a better sense of sportsmanship.

“This year’s event provides us with one such opportunity to learn and teach these qualities while practicing and taking part, “she said.

Also speaking, the Priest in charge of Christ the King Catholic Church Ibadan, Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Ajewole, noted that education has to be whole, encompassing sports and classroom learning.

“Learning is not about classroom alone, some of the great sport stars started from school inter- house sports competition.

“Involvement of pupils in sports will also create more friendship and increase the spirit competition among students, “he said.

Earlier, the Chairman of the occasion, Mr Olayinka Ayinde, represented by his wife, Mrs Oluwamayowa Ayinde said that sporting activities give the child all round development, which includes, cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains.

“Besides, sports keep the child busy, this takes away idleness and prevents them from engaging social vices and other harmful events,’’ she said.

A parent, Mrs Olubunmi Ogundeji, commended the school for identifying sports as integral part of learning process for grooming students for glorious future.

The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that blue house came first with 298 points.

Yellow house was first runner-up with 287 while green and red houses took third and fourth positions with 281 and 263 points respectively.(NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

 

Hoop Dreams, Showtyme Angels Clinch Titles at 4th Ibadan Basketball Championship.

 

By Oluwaseyi Oduneye-Ogunwomoju

 

The fourth edition of the Ibadan Basketball Championships came to a thrilling conclusion, with Hoop Dreams and Showtyme Angels claiming top honors in the male and female categories, respectively.

In the male category, Hoop Dreams defeated Rising Stars 48-40, while the University of Ibadan secured third place with an 84-76 victory over Showtyme Hoopers.

In the female category, Showtyme Angels edged out Rising Stars 22-16.

Hoop Dreams’ coach, Opeyemi Adekunle, praised his team’s efforts, saying, “Defending and winning a title is not an easy task.

 

“We’ve been training and preparing ahead of this competition for a while as an organised team,”he said.

On officiating, Adekunle said that referees are human and not totally perfect, hence prone and bound to make errors.

“To me, the officiating was okay, and it’s normal for players to show some emotions when referees make some calls,”he said.

The winning teams received cash prizes, with Hoop Dreams taking home N250,000, Rising Stars receiving N150,000, and the University of Ibadan getting N100,000 in the male category.

Showtyme Angels received N200,000, while Rising Stars got N150,000 in the female category.

 

The championships was sponsored by some retired Oyo state basketballers based in the diaspora.

Rashidat Sadiq, an Olympian and one of the sponsors, said that the competition is an annual event to encourage players and help in improving their game.

Sadiq said that the aim is to provide an avenue for players to be the best version of themselves.

“Competitions like this help basketballers get better.

“What we look forward to achieve with this annual competition is giving hope and some level of competitiveness among the teams to enable them measure their improvements.

“It is also to encourage them to intensify efforts into their training,”she said.