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From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
The Abia State soccer fest kicking off next week will involve will involve over 3,000 youths in 203 matches across teams in the 184 wards of the 17 Local Government Areas of the State.
The Abia State Football Fest (ASF), which begins on August 23, across the 17 LGAs, is meant to fish out talents amongst male adolescents in the state.
Organized by the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, the tournament is for young people between the age bracket of 16 to 23 years.
Speaking in Umuahia, the vice chairman of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC), Captain Eric Asomugha said the aim was to developing sports at the grassroots with target on active participation of football clubs across the 184 wards.
“We have 184 wards in Abia State, from 17 local government areas, competing in a total of 202 matches, over 6 or 7 months. We are working on different things. We are going to have the best player of each match.
“We shall be inviting scouts from local, state, national and international to fish out the talents that are going to be discovered in this great tournament.
“So, every good player has an opportunity to progress beyond this tournament.”
He disclosed that the committee is going to hold a seminar to educate the officials and the participants on the rules of the game, to keep them updated of recent happenings in the world of the sports.
Captain Asomugha, who described the Abia State Wards & Local Government Football Tournaments as first of its kind saluted Governor Alex Otti for his interest in sports development.
He said that the seminar would begin on Tuesday August 13, for Abia South, at the Aba South LGA hall, at Ohafia headquarters for Abia North zone on August 15, and on the 16th, in Umuahia for the Abia Central zone.
Co-Chairman, Abia House of Assembly Committee on Sports, Hon. Anthony Chinasa, described the tournament as talent haunt driven and said that the exercise would give Abia youths the opportunity to be heard all over the world in football development.
