Hundreds of youth gathered at the Agege Township Stadium on Wednesday to participate in the screening process for the first edition of the BOS Youth cup, which is being organised by the BOS Academy and the Senior Special Assistants (SSAs) to Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
Over 5,000 youths from 57 Local Government and Local Council Development Areas across the state took part in the screening exercise, which was held in 20 locations across the state to select players and teams for the football tournament.
Trials of eligible players with LASSRA cards and the shortlisting of 23 players for the BOS Youth Cup, including three goalkeepers and 20 outfield players, took place at the local government/local council development area (LCDA) level to select All Star Players for the 20 LGAs competing in the competition.
The BOS Youth Cup, a football competition for youths under 21 years across all councils within the State, is part of efforts by the Babajide Sanwo-Olu led administration to curb restiveness and promote sports and youth development in Lagos State.
The BOS Youth Cup has been well received by the target youths, according to Mr. Dotun Coker, Chairman of the Lagos State Football Association Technical Committee, during the screening exercise at the Agege Stadium. In every location, he described the young people’s participation in the competition as “encouraging.”
The BOS Youth Cup, according to Coker, is one of the events for grassroots football development, noting that professionals are not permitted to participate in the tournament, which is only open to residents of a local government.
Coker stated that some scouting agencies and corporate organisations from within and outside Nigeria would be involved in the BOS Youth Cup tournament for the purpose of football development and academic scholarships for players who participate in the competition in order to bring glory to themselves, their families, local governments, and the state of Lagos.
