Fosla Academy of Abuja underlined their dominance in school football by clinching both the boys’ and girls’ titles at the maiden edition of the National Schools Football Championship, which concluded at the FIFA Goal Project Pitch, Package B of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, on Monday.
The Abuja-based academy capped an outstanding campaign with victory in both finals, establishing themselves as the standout team of the inaugural tournament.
In the boys’ final, goals from Ephraim Moses and Daniel Alilu earned Fosla Academy a hard-fought 2-1 win over Brilliant Academy of Toro, Bauchi State. Victor Usman pulled one back late on for the Bauchi side, but it proved to be no more than a consolation.
Earlier, Fosla Academy’s girls also lifted the title after defeating Government Secondary School, Lugbe, 2-0. Salamatu Ahmed and Patricia Habila found the net to seal a comfortable victory in front of a packed crowd.
The third-place match in the boys’ category produced plenty of drama as Parliament International School, Apo, twice came from behind to edge Divine Mercy School, Asokoro, 3-2 in a thrilling five-goal contest.
Individual honours were also presented to outstanding performers at the championship. Kelechi Onyekuru of Parliament International School was named the Most Valuable Player in the boys’ category after converting the decisive penalty that secured the bronze medal, while Alicia Francisca of Aduvie International School claimed the girls’ MVP award.
Sunday Mark of Divine Mercy School finished as the boys’ top scorer with eight goals, sharing the spotlight with Fosla Academy’s Patricia Habila, who also netted eight times to win the girls’ Golden Boot.
Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Head of Competitions, Ruth David, represented NFF President Ibrahim Gusau at the closing ceremony, where she presented the winners’ trophies and individual awards.
Also in attendance was former NFF President and founder of Fosla Academy, Alhaji Sani Lulu Abdullahi, who expressed delight at his academy’s remarkable achievement.
Lulu praised the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Kickstart Sports Foundation, Ibrahim Bello, for successfully organising the inaugural championship, commending the high standard of football displayed throughout the competition and expressing optimism about its future growth.