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From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
Organisers of the Bayelsa Governor’s Football Tournament, also known as the Prosperity Cup, have signed a major partnership deal with Spanish football giants Barcelona FC ahead of the 2026 edition of Nigeria’s most anticipated grassroots football tournament.
Director General of the Prosperity Cup, Mr Ono Akpe, who disclosed this at a pre-event world press conference held at the Golden Tulip Resort, Onopa, Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, noted that officials of Barcelona FC will arrive in Yenagoa from Monday, February 23, to Wednesday, 25, 2026, for an international coaching clinic to be organised in collaboration with the Bayelsa State Ministry of Sports Development and the Bayelsa State Football Association (BFA).
Mr Akpe hinted that the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA)-certified capacity-building training, which will comprise theoretical as well as practical sessions, is intended for 50 coaches, of which 40 will be Bayelsa-based grassroots football coaches, while 10 slots will be left open for coaches from outside the state.
The coaching clinic, according to the DG, will focus on the coaching methodology and philosophy of Barcelona FC.
According to him, the coaching clinic will be driven by coaches of Barcelona FC and coordinated by Bernard Villa Boas, the Technical Director for the Africa Project.
He further stated that the programme will dovetail into another coaching programme to be organised in conjunction with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), with the federation’s Technical Director, Austine Eguavoen, as the focal person.
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The DG also hinted that the Prosperity Cup–Barcelona FC partnership, which was facilitated by Whiz-kid Ventures of the Netherlands, will culminate in the establishment of a world-class football academy in Yenagoa, where products of the Bayelsa Governor’s Football Tournament will be nurtured and mentored.
On preparations for the sixth edition of the tournament, Mr Akpe said plans are being intensified for a hitch-free competition and expressed delight that the signing of the partnership agreement with Barcelona FC was coming at a time Bayelsa State is celebrating 30 years of its creation.
Other capacity-development initiatives packaged along with the tournament include a referees’ refresher programme, a three-day intensive training programme for medical personnel, and a one-day intensive training for media personnel and coordinators of the various match centres.
Mr Akpe explained that, in commemoration of the state’s 30th anniversary, the prize money for the male category of the competition has been increased to N30 million, while the female category has been raised to N10 million.
He seized the opportunity to commend the Bayelsa State Government, grassroots football coaches in the state, the Bayelsa State Football Association, and the sponsors, Premium Trust Bank, for their support.
