Okoro Speaks On Impact Of MTN Lagos Street Soccer Season Championship.

Uzor Okoro, Face Of The MTN Lagos Street Soccer 7, speaks on his experience and the benefits of the annual championship.

Uzor Okoro, who is currently the face of the MTN Lagos Street Soccer Season 7, was a member of the season 6 champions, ABS Street, Iyana-Ipaja in Mosan Okuola LCDA, Lagos State.

Uzor,  says MTN Lagos Street Soccer Offers is an avenue to showcase the Nigerian local talents to the outside world”.

Who Is Uzor Okoro?

I was born in Lagos about sixteen years ago; I attended Oyewole Secondary School, Iyana Ipaja, Lagos. I had been playing football right from age six, but joined ABS Team in 2013 and I was a part of the team that won the MTN Lagos Street Soccer season 6.

Impact Of MTN Lagos Street Soccer On Your Career.

It has been tremendous! It has given me the exposure; I never believed I could get to this level. More so, I have developed considerably in the technicality of the game. 

Although the skill is there, but the championship has created an opportunity for me to understand the nitty-gritty of the game. 

Also with the MTN Street Soccer, I had the opportunity last year to travel on a training tour to Dubai in UAE, this was my first international travel, there I had the opportunity to play with people from the other part of the world and also had the privilege to watch the Under 17 FIFA world cup finals live in Dubai with rest members of the ABS team and our coaches and managers. At present the initiative is helping me to achieve my dream.

Based On Your Experience Last Year, How Would You Describe The Championship, The Benefits And The Officiating?

I think the initiative has a potential to bring a lot of grassroots footballers to the international level. It offers an avenue to showcase the Nigerian local talents to the outside world. It has a great potential to develop grassroots footballers, put confidence in them and kick-start them to do better in future. 

Apart from the international training tours for the winners, I believe the cash gift is also very helpful, with it; a lot of us can meet our immediate needs. 

About the officiating, the officials are doing great job. They are very disciplined, hardworking and tolerant. In short they are very professional in their conducts. And the tournament has also been enhancing their capabilities. It is certain that most of them will do well in their careers.

As The Face MTN Lagos Street Soccer 7, How As It Being?

It has been a great experience; I have been meeting people of different status and backgrounds. It has indeed made me popular among my peers. I really thank God and the organisers for this opportunity. 

After This Want Next, Especially Your Education?

I hope to fulfil my academic dreams, I will sincerely like to get into an academy where I can play football and still have chance to read my books. I don’t want to lose focus, I want to play football and still do something reasonable academically.

One Of The Focus Of The Initiative Is To Develop Grassroots Football Which Will Have Positive Impact On Our Local League, Do You Intend To Play In Nigerian Local League?.

 A lot of players in the Nigerian league are doing pretty well. If I have the opportunity, I will gladly embrace it. It will be a good place to start my professional career. 

How Would You Encourage Other Youngsters That Are Willing To Participate In The Tournament?

They must be focused and work very hard. More so they must stay away from drugs and other anti-social behaviors that can have negative impact on their career.

Season Seven Of MTN Lagos Street Soccer Enters Round Two

This weekend across 16 centres in Lagos, teams will begin hostilities in the second round of the season seven of the yearly MTN Lagos Street Soccer Championship.

  As the championship progresses into the crucial stages and from over 550 teams at the commencement of the competition, only teams that qualified after extensive round robin format will participate and via for laurels in what promised to be another remarkable season.

  In the U-15 junior category, Ogudu Junior Grammar, Kosofe, Ikotun High School Alimosho, Yewa Junior High School Agege, Gbaju Boys Junior High School Surulere, Birchfreeman Junior High School Mushin, and Festac Grammer School Amuwo Odofin are among schools teams teams expected to compete in the second round of the tournament.

  However, the Local Organising Committee (LOC) has reaffirmed its readiness to rid the competition of irregularities while the committee has vowed to punish any erring team.

  According to the Executive Secretary of the Local Organising Committee (LOC), Deji Aladegbemi, this year’s tournament witnessed a lot of improvement in terms of quality of play and adherence to the rules guiding the game.

  “We are delighted that participating Street teams now comply with the rules of the game and this has indeed brought out the best in some of the participating teams and we hope that the second round will also be exciting as we are hoping that the best teams will progress to the next round,” he said.

Registration For Season Seven of MTN Lagos Street Soccer Begins

Registration for the season seven of the yearly MTN Lagos Street Soccer Championship begins across the state.

 

Teams are expected to jostle for the mouth-watering prize money in the (U-15) junior, female and male (open) categories of the competition.

 

According to the Executive Secretary, Deji Aladegbemi, the tournament has grown over the past seven years evidence by stakeholders enthusiasm and community buy - in, as more teams are willing to be part of this year’s championship.

 

Aladegbemi admitted that the introduction of the junior category has indeed upped the ante and made the tournament more attractive, competitive and  especially delivered on the talent discovery goals of the competition 

 Screening of Sschools (public and private) and academies predicated on eradicating age falsification has also commenced in earnest.

“We were overwhelmed with the turnout and performance of the junior category during the last edition, underpinning the Ministry and MTN Nigeria Telecommunications quest for an improved and sustainable standard of the competition” he said.

 

Aladegbemi also added that with the performance of the winners of the (U-15) junior category during the all expenses paid tour of South Africa, there would be converted efforts this year geared to ensuring that players are exposed to internationally acceptable mentoring and training standard that offer unique platform for young players to live their dreams.

 

  For teams (Male, Female and U - 15 Junior Categories) willing to be part of this year’s competition, registration forms are obtained at the Secretariat of the LOC at the Teslim Balogun, Surulere Stadium.