… tourney to host 14 teams, with two international female teams

The Edo State First Lady, Mrs. Betsy Obaseki, has said the fourth edition of the Betsy Obaseki Women Football Tournament (BOWFT) will take place in Benin City, the Edo State capital between 2nd and 13th October 2024.

Addressing journalists during a press conference in Benin City, on Tuesday, to announce the hosting of the 2024 edition of the pre-season tournament, Mrs. Obaseki said this year’s edition will host 14 teams with two international female teams from Benin Republic introduced to the tournament to make this year’s edition more exciting.

The participating teams include Edo Queens FC - Benin City; Fortress Ladies FC - Benin City; Rivers Angels FC - Rivers State; Nasarawa Amazons FC - Nasarawa State; Naija Ratel FC - Abuja; Heartland Queens FC - Imo State; FC Robo - Lagos State and Ekiti Queens FC - Ekiti State.

Others are Delta Queens FC - Delta State; Confluence Queens FC - Kogi State; Bayelsa Queens FC - Bayelsa State; Abia Angels FC - Abia State; Espoir FC de Cotonou - Benin Republic and Aigle Royal d'Adjara - Benin Republic.

Mrs. Obaseki reassured that the BOWFT will continue to focus on grooming and empowering the girl-child and engender grassroots sports development in the State and Nigeria.

The Edo First Lady explained that the tournament is borne out of the passion to create opportunities to inspire the girl-child, while promoting causes that raise awareness to discourage social vices.

According to her, this year’s edition has the theme, “Say No to Teenage Pregnancy and Child Motherhood.”

Reeling the impact and gains of the competition in the last four years, Mrs. Obaseki stated, “Since its inception in 2020, the tournament has grown remarkably, making a significant impact by providing a platform for our young girls to dream big and pursue their passions and aspirations, while showcasing incredible talents and potential of these girls to the rest of the world.

“Beyond nurturing our local talents, the tournament has also helped position our female football players on the global stage with many of the girls from the past editions of the Betsy Obaseki Women’s Football Tournament representing Nigeria on the international stage with distinction.

“I am delighted to state that three of our girls from Edo Queens are currently part of Nigeria’s Falconet team flying the nation’s flag and making us proud at the FIFA U-20 World Cup taking place in Colombia. They include Comfort Folorunsho, Chioma Olise and Goodness Osigwe.

“This is in addition to the several international players who have participated in different editions of the tournament who are now making their mark in top-tier clubs across the globe, including Monday Gift who played for FC Robo and now plies her trade at Granadilla Tenerife of Spain; Peace Efih, who featured for Edo Queens FC and now with Sporting de Huelva of Spain; Esther Onyenezide of FC Robo, who now plays for Madrid FCC of Spain.

“Others are: Blessing Demehin of Bayelsa Queens who now currently plays for Stade de Reims of France and Rofiat Imuran who also featured for Rivers Angels and is now with Stade de Reims of France, among others.”

She added, “These accomplishments highlight the profound impact of the Betsy Obaseki Women’s Football Tournament in these past four years and stand as a testament to the caliber of talent we possess and the opportunities that lie ahead if we continue to support them and harness their potential.”

According to her, “The first edition of the tournament which set the stage for this impressive run had the theme, ‘Promoting the Girl Child,’ with 12 participating teams. The second edition of the competition had the theme ‘Say No to Drugs,’ with 13 participating teams, and the third edition with 13 teams, themed, ‘End Gender-Based Violence,’ focused on raising awareness and generating public interest in the urgent need to eradicate gender-based violence in all its forms in Edo State.”

“This year, the tournament will take place from 2nd to 13th October 2024 between 14 participating teams with two international female teams from Benin Republic introduced to the tournament to make this year’s edition even more exciting.”

She reassured, “While this is my last edition as First Lady, I want to assure you that this is definitely not the end of BOWFT as we will be setting up the Board of Trustees for this initiative to ensure the continuity and sustainability of the BOWFT. We have also appointed Nilayo Sports Marketing Ltd. as the Marketing Consultant for BOWFT.”