The Bayelsa State Commissioner for Sports Development, Dr Baraladei Daniel Igali, has said the state government is consistent with the Governor’s Cup competition otherwise known as ‘Prosperity Cup’ to ensure that the football talents that abound in the state are identified early and nurtured to stardom.
The Olympian who spoke to Daily Trust in Yenagoa said the main objective is to mop up talents that were wasting away before the advent of the grassroots football tournament.
He maintained that so many talented players have been discovered and are playing professional football abroad.
“We have discovered that talents abound in Bayelsa State. Unfortunately, since such talents are not harnessed, most of them venture into anti-social behaviours. Now, we feel that we can use sports like football, wrestling, taekwondo, and others to be able to mop up these talents and redirect them.
“For the six years that the Bayelsa Prosperity Cup has taken place, we have identified a lot of athletes, who have done very well in football. In fact, the top scorer in the NPFL for Bayelsa United last season was discovered in this tournament two years ago, and that is how important this tournament is.
“That is what this competition does to us. Over the last two years, about 14 players have left the shores of this country to ply their trade in clubs in Europe. They were discovered in this tournament.
“This year alone, 18 have been selected and they are going for trials in Lagos in the next couple of weeks,” said Igali.
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