Ayegba: FCT Women’s Tournament Will Unearth Next Generation Of Football Stars

A board member of the FCT Football Association (FCT FA), Dr Pat Ajuma Ayegba, has said the Women’s Inter Area Council Football Tournament will provide a vital pathway for discovering and developing the next generation of female football stars in the Federal Capital Territory.

Ayegba made the remarks as the second edition of the FCT FA Women’s Inter Area Council Football Tournament got underway, with teams representing the six Area Councils competing for honours.

She said the competition was deliberately taken to the grassroots because of the abundance of football talent in the Area Councils, stressing that providing young girls with regular competitive opportunities was crucial to their development.

According to Ayegba, the inaugural edition of the tournament proved that significant talent exists at the grassroots, with several players discovered through the competition now making encouraging progress in their football careers.

“The previous edition was an eye-opener. We discovered several talents, and some of them are developing rapidly and making progress in their football careers,” Ayegba said.

She explained that the second edition had adopted a home-and-away format, designed not only to increase competitive opportunities but also to encourage more girls to embrace football as a career.

Ayegba said the initiative was also aimed at changing perceptions among parents and communities about women’s football by demonstrating that the sport could provide young girls with a viable and rewarding future.

“Our primary objective is to get more girls off the streets, encourage them to consider football as a career and convince parents that football can provide a viable and rewarding future,” she said.

The FCT FA board member also identified the tournament as an important platform for coaches and scouts to identify promising players who could progress to higher levels of the game.

She noted that a number of players discovered through grassroots women’s football competitions had subsequently earned opportunities to represent Nigeria at national-team level.

“Seeing these talents emerge and excel motivates me to continue supporting this initiative,” Ayegba added.

She further disclosed that players identified during the tournament would form part of the pool from which the FCT women’s football team would be developed.

Ayegba commended the FCT FA for its backing and for providing the necessary logistics to stage the competition, which she described as an important investment in the future of women’s football in the territory.

The tournament features six teams representing the six Area Councils of the FCT and is expected to provide players with increased exposure while strengthening the grassroots football structure.

The competition began with an emphatic statement from Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), who defeated Gwagwalada Area Council 7-0 in the opening match.

The result provided an explosive start to the tournament, with the remaining Area Councils now expected to battle for honours while scouts, coaches and football stakeholders keep a close watch for emerging talents.