Scholarships, Individual Awards Highlights FCT U-12/U-15 Inter-Area Council Handball Championship

Scholarships, trophies as well as individual awards are up for grab as the 2022 FCT U-12/U-15 Inter-Area Council Handball Championship gets underway in Abuja. 

Declaring the tournament open, the FCT Handball Association Chairman, Ambassador Dr Edward Olutoke said that apart from trophies and individual awards to be giving to deserving teams and players, the FCT Handball Association Board will offer scholarships to players with exceptional display.

Ambassador Olutoke who disclosed this while interacting with newsmen at the opening ceremony of the tournament at the newly revamped and remodeled FCT Handball Court at Old Parade Ground, Garki Abuja on Wednesday, said that the vision behind holding the championship is to discover kids with handball talents as well as inculcate in them the passion to take to handball or any other sports as they may prefer in their future careers. 

“Before we came on board, handball in the Federal Capital was in the doldrums. To the Glory of God, we were offered this great opportunity to come on board and contribute our own efforts towards revamping and turning around the sport in FCT.

“There are alot of factors considered in organising this competition but the most cardinal is to encourage the kids. To give them hope, provide platform for them to come and have fun. To come and express themselves, to enjoy themselves. 

“This competition is also aimed at inculcating handball in the minds of these kids so that they can focus on it and maybe in the future play handball professional and make career. 

“Aside this, if you look around, you would understand that our kids are growing in anger. The system does not support them and if we do not do thing like this now, if we allow them to grow in the circumstance, it will not be good for our future as a n association and generally for the country," he said. 

He explained the various scholarships, trophies and individual awards up for grab at the end of the tournament

“We have, as a board, various plans to encourage these kids and one of these ways is giving them scholarships up to the university. The overall best player will be offered scholarship to study at the University of Nigeria Nsukka.

“The best players in each of the four categories will be giving scholarships from primary to secondary school level. 

“Aside these, there are trophies for the best these teams in each categories as well as individual awards for the best players and overall best player at the end of the competition," he said. 

20 teams from the six Area Councils in the Federal Capital Territory are taking part in the competition.

In the opening match on Wednesday, Abuja Municipal Area Council, AMAC U-12 female team humbled their Kuje Area Council counterparts 22-5 to announce their intent to defend the crown they won last year