Sports foundation, NLO, sign MoU for sponsorship of Super 16 Cup championship

The Ikukuoma Sports Development Foundation and the management of the Nationwide League One (NLO) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the foundation’s sponsorship of the Super 16 Cup championship.

The MoU was signed in Owerri, on Saturday, for sponsorship the tournament slated to hold in Owerri in September 2023.The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Ikukuoma Football Club, an offshoot of the foundation, won the recently concluded NLO 2 Under-19 youth league in Awka, Anambra on July 21, defeating the Ozalla Football Academy of Anambra, 1-0.A 48th minute strike by Samuel Chiedozie, his third of the season from five games, turned out to be all the team needed to secure the ticket to the NLO 1.Addressing newsmen shortly after signing the MoU, the Foundation’s President, High Chief Summers Nwokie said that the decision to sponsor the NLO was borne out of a sincere desire to groom upcoming football talents and give back to society.Nwokie said that the foundation, who have remained yearly sponsors of Ikukuoma Mbaise Unity Cup competition, were determined to take football sponsorship beyond the communities to the state and national levels.

He thanked the NLO for the mutual understanding and trust reposed in him, while restating his commitment to humanitarian gestures in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for sports development.“In line with my foundation’s motto , ‘Nurturing Destinies to Greatness’, I see sports as a formidable unifying factor for communities, states and countries as enshrined in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 3,4,11,16 and 17.“In year 2022, I also initiated secondary schools football competition in Imo, with the year 2023 edition already in its preparatory stage.“ I am, therefore, elated today that the dream of harnessing young football talents is becoming a reality as through this championship, a lot of youth destinies in Nigeria will be discovered and nurtured to greatness “, he said.

Speaking, the Chairman, Executive Board of the NLO and former Deputy Governor of Nasarawa, Mr Silas Agara, described the NLO as the largest soccer league in Nigeria and Africa, with 300 grassroots teams participating.He thanked the foundation for its numerous contributions to the development of football at the grassroots and expressed hope that the sponsorship will go a long way in changing the face of football in Imo and the Southeast.Also, Vice Chairman, Imo Football Association (FA), Mr Ifeanyi Dike, said that 18 football clubs will participate in the championship which will have games taking place in two different stadia and foreign scouts from different leagues across the world attending.NAN reports that also present at the signing of the MoU were the Chief Operating Officer of the NLO, Shola Ogunnowo, and the Director-General of the Foundation, Mr Julius Nnaji. (NAN)