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…How two young founders are building opportunities for the next generation of female footballers
Every weekend across Lagos, young girls lace up their boots and take to local pitches with dreams of becoming footballers. Some play on school fields. Others train on community pitches shared with boys’ teams and other sports. For many, however, the opportunity to play is not matched by a clear pathway to progress.
Nigeria has a long and successful history in women’s football, but that success does not always translate into opportunities at grassroots level. Young female footballers often face limited access to organised competitions, equipment, quality playing facilities, mentorship and the networks that can help them progress in football or education.
The challenge is not simply a lack of talent. It is a question of access and opportunity.
Many grassroots academies operate with limited financial resources and have little access to regular competitions. Parents also face difficult choices, particularly where sports must compete with education, household responsibilities and other immediate needs. For a young girl who wants to pursue football, the absence of visible opportunities can make it difficult for her family to see a future in the sport.
This is where community-based intervention becomes important. Local authorities, schools, football associations, community leaders, private organisations and families all have a role to play in creating environments where girls can participate safely and consistently.
It is within this space that Ibidoyin Aina and Sekinat Abubakre established the Herizon Sports Initiative (HSI).
The initiative grew out of the Ibidoyin Aina Cup, which was launched in 2024. The competition was held under that name in 2024 and 2025 before being rebranded in 2026 as the Herizon Cup, under Herizon Sports Initiative.
HSI was established with a broader ambition than an annual football tournament. Built around three core pillars – Access, Development and Visibility – the initiative seeks to create sustained opportunities for young female athletes through football, mentorship, leadership and community engagement.
The growth of the Herizon Cup reflects that ambition. The first edition in 2024 featured four teams. By 2025, the competition had grown to eight teams, providing more young female footballers with an opportunity to compete and gain experience.
Since its establishment, HSI has directly engaged more than 260 female athletes and worked with more than 600 community stakeholders, including parents, coaches, sports administrators and youth leaders.
In March 2026, HSI partnered with the Lagos State Football Association (LSFA) on a leadership and mentorship programme involving 100 girls from 20 academies. The programme went beyond football training, introducing participants to personal development, leadership and career guidance.
The initiative has also placed greater emphasis on visibility and access to opportunities beyond Lagos.
In July 2026, HSI, in partnership with the LSFA and other stakeholders, organised the Lagos Queens Cup, a scouting competition that brought European scouts from Finland and Sweden to Lagos. The initiative created an opportunity for emerging female footballers to be seen by international talent evaluators while giving scouts direct access to players within the local football community.
For HSI, these programmes are part of the same objective: ensuring that talented girls do not simply have the opportunity to play football, but also have opportunities to develop, be seen and understand what their options can look like beyond the pitch.
Corporate support has also become an important part of this work.
For Herizon Cup 2026, BAMA has come on board as Lead Sponsor, supporting the delivery of the tournament and contributing to the broader objective of creating opportunities for young female footballers.
The partnership demonstrates the role that corporate organisations can play in grassroots sport. Beyond financial support, corporate partnerships can provide the resources needed to create better experiences for players, attract wider participation and give grassroots initiatives the capacity to reach more communities.
The third edition of the Herizon Cup will take place on 6 and 7 November 2026 at Bariga Stadium, CMS, Lagos. The tournament will bring together eight female academies and more than 200 young players, alongside coaches, families, football stakeholders and spectators.
For Aina and Abubakre, however, the tournament is only one part of the larger work.
The bigger question is what happens to a young girl after the final whistle.
Does she have access to another competition? Does she have someone to guide her? Can she be seen by the right people? Can football open a door to education, professional opportunities or leadership? And, perhaps most importantly, does she believe that there is a place for her in the sport?
Those are the questions Herizon Sports Initiative is seeking to address.
Through the Herizon Cup, mentorship programmes, scouting initiatives and partnerships with football and corporate stakeholders, HSI is working to create more consistent opportunities for girls who are already showing up on the pitch every weekend.
The story of grassroots female football in Lagos is therefore not only a story about what is missing. It is also a story about the people choosing to build what they believe should exist.
For Doyin and Sekinat, the work continues with a simple objective: give more girls the opportunity to play, develop and be seen.
