Spires 5-Aside Partners IHS for 2026 Lagos Championship

Spires 5-Aside Naija Street Soccer Tournament has entered into a partnership with telecommunications infrastructure company IHS for its 2026 Lagos State Championship.

The partnership was announced ahead of the championship, scheduled to begin on 24 October.

The tournament, now in its third season, will feature 16 teams drawn from five divisions in Lagos State.

Spires Media public relations manager, Victor Ottah, described the partnership as a major development that would take the street football initiative beyond the pitch through a range of innovative programmes.

He described the collaboration as “one made in heaven”, noting that IHS’s work in connecting communities through telecommunications aligned with the tournament’s objective of bringing young people together through sport.

The Director-General of Lagos State Sports Commission Lekan Fatodu commended IHS for partnering with Spires Media, describing the tournament as one of the best-organised five-a-side competitions in Nigeria and the West African sub-region.

“This is a partnership that is long overdue,” Fatodu said.

“As a commission, we have closely monitored the activities of Spires Media through the Spires 5-Aside Naija Street Soccer project in the last three years, and I make bold to say it is the most professionally run 5-Aside Tournament not only in Nigeria but across the West African sub-region.”

The LSSC boss assured the organisers of the commission’s full support for the 2026 championship.

“We would provide every support in our capacity and ensure that both IHS and Spires Media have an enabling environment to host the 2026 state championship,” he said.

Spires Media chief executive and tournament initiator, Dr Bankole Allibay, expressed optimism that the partnership would significantly expanded the five-a-side competition, which has been staged in Lagos over the past three years.

“I must appreciate IHS for trusting us enough on this project. We have done this alone in the last three years and the successes recorded are there for everyone to see. Now imagine what we can achieve with this partnership,” Allibay said.

The next phase of the partnership unveiling is scheduled for 1 September in conjunction with the Lagos State Football Association.

The 2026 championship will bring together teams from across the state’s five divisions, with the competition expected to provide a platform for grassroots football players to compete at state level.

IHS, which operates telecommunications infrastructure in Nigeria, is expected to support the tournament as part of the partnership.

The competition is scheduled to run through October, with the participating teams battling for honours in the 2026 Lagos State championship.