16 Teams Battle For Honours At Kano U-13 Football Talent Hunt

Sixteen teams of young footballers have begun competing at the Milo-Ahmed Musa Under-13 Football Clinic and Tournament in Kano as organisers seek to identify and nurture the next generation of Nigerian football talent.

The 17-day grassroots programme is being held at the Ahmed Musa Sports Complex and is supported by Milo, a brand of Nestlé Nigeria Plc, in partnership with former Super Eagles captain and Milo brand ambassador, Ahmed Musa.

The initiative is designed to combine football training with mentorship, while promoting discipline, teamwork, resilience and perseverance among the young participants.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Milo Category Lead, Nestlé Nigeria Plc, Gilbert Tweneboah-Koduah, said the programme was aimed at identifying talented youngsters and providing them with the foundation needed to pursue football careers.

He said Milo had supported sports development in Nigeria for almost three decades and that its partnership with Musa was aimed at strengthening grassroots football development in Northern Nigeria.

According to him, the young players will receive coaching in key areas including shooting, tackling and teamwork before the programme culminates in the final on September 3.

“We believe that by starting with children under 13, tomorrow, Nigeria’s top striker or top football player may have started learning the skills from here,” Tweneboah-Koduah said.

“This is why we will not stop. It is better to catch them young, train them young and give them the values when they are young so that they can make our nation proud when they grow up.”

Musa, who declared the tournament open, said the initiative was inspired by his childhood experiences of school sports, when Milo was actively involved in grassroots competitions.

“When I was growing up, we always had school games and Milo was always there. But nowadays, we don’t see that as much,” he said.

Musa added that he sought to recreate those experiences through his partnership with the brand.

He said the programme would extend beyond the tournament, with outstanding players to be identified and provided with further development opportunities.

The former Nigeria captain also announced cash prizes of ₦1 million, ₦500,000 and ₦300,000 for the first, second and third-placed teams respectively.