Jandor Foundation sponsors grassroot soccer tourney

By Akeem Lawal

The Founder/Chairman of Jandor Foundation, a non-governmental organisation, Olajide Adediran says the need to give talented youths the opportunity to exhibit their skills is one of the reasons for sponsoring the Under-14 Jandor Foundation Cup soccer competition, Sportsbiz247.blogspot.com reports.

Speaking at the trophy presentation held at the Airport Hotel in Ikeja, Lagos at the weekend, Adeniran who also doubles as the Group Managing Director of Core Media Group, mother station of Core TV, said the foundation's aim of supporting the needy made it partner the Lagos State Grassroot Soccer Association (LSGSA), organizers of the tournament.

Adeniran, who was ably represented by Akeem Yusuf, the Secretary/Member Board of Trustees of Jandor Foundation said catching them young at tender age is very important.

"Jandor Foundation is a non-governmental organisation formed with the sole aim of fighting poverty and illiteracy in the society.

"We believe that sport is very important in our lives with many benefits as it helps us to train our body, develop it physically, mentally and discover our talents and that is why we decided to partner with the association to give kids opportunity of excelling in their God's given talents. The aim is not the prize money itself but to discover the talented ones among them.

“At that very tender age, if we discover that they have the skills, the sky is the beginning for them. We are not looking at this country alone, there are so many football clubs around the world that without even passing through the national team, if they see good talent, they are ready to pick them up and that is the kind of plan we have for them,” he said.

Also, Omowunmi Alli-Balogun, Central Coordinator, Jandor Foundation said the aim is also to keep youths off the streets and engage them meaningfully.

“We realized that we need to engage these youthful minds in order to keep them off social vices like drugs, gambling, bad association and so on. So we felt that soccer will be very engaging and will make them to be fully involved,” Alli-Balogun said.

LSGSA Secretary, Ganiyu Olawale said they intend to use the competition to discover new talents who will be nurtured to become future stars such as Obafemi Martins.

"I must say that I am overwhelmed with the talents we have seen since the commencement of the championship and one of the players have been invited to the Lagos State junior team and I am convinced that the scouts who are monitoring the competition will discover new talents in the mold of Obafemi Martins, Taye Taiwo and Dele Adeleye who one time or the other participated in our competitions.”

Meanwhile semi- final matches of the competition will be decided on Wednesday when Greater Tomorrow FC of Apapa will lock horns with Soccer City of Itire-Ikate, while Zamadek of Agege will meet Right Football Academy of Mainland in the second semi- final match.

The final and 3rd place matches will come up at the Legacy Pitch of the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos on Sunday, March 18, 2018.

Winner of the two weeks tournament will be rewarded with the sum of N200,000 and a giant trophy, while the first runner-up will go home with a trophy and N150,000, just as the third place winner will smile home with N50,000.