Youth teams of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) would be arriving their designated centres for the zonal qualifiers from tomorrow, January 30 for kick-off on February 1.
Chairman of the NPFL Youth League Committee, Pastor Emeka Inyama disclosed that the start of the tournament will be preceded by the screening exercise on January 31 to ensure proper documentation of players.
The 20 NPFL Clubs have been zoned on regional basis for preliminary qualifying matches in five centres. The centres are Lafia for clubs in North Central, Kaduna will host clubs from the Nortgwest and Northeast, Ekiti is the centre for Southwest clubs while Enugu is host to Southeast clubs and Port Harcourt for South South clubs.
According to fixtures sighted by MPFL Media, matches at each centre will commence at 8am and concluded at noon.
In the words of Inyama, “we want to get it right at building a stronger NPFL through setting up a proper Youth League culture which is the future of elite leagues all over the world”.
He commended the Chairman of the NPFL, Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye and the Board members for the foresight in setting up Youth League and the support to his committee’s work.
“I can tell you that we are all set for the start of the Youth League season and are looking forward to a very healthy competition.
“It must be reiterated that participation is compulsory for all 20 NPFL Clubs as there would serious consequences for any club that fails to be part of this”, Inyama emphasised.
