Okocha, Idowu List Gains of EPL School Trophy Tour

After the Barclays English Premier League School Trophy Tour was concluded recently, former Super Eagles captain, Austin Jay Jay Okocha and Chairman, National Academy Sports Committee (NASCOM), Yemi Idowu, believe the presence of the colorful cup would inspire kids to embrace sports.

Idowu, a member of the Youth Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) said: “The Barclays EPL School Trophy Tour is part of community programme that already exist in England called the school trophy tour.

“Normally, schools will apply and they will be selected and the trophy taken to these schools. Now, they have decided to be sharing it with schools outside England like taking it to Asia and Africa. It has been to Africa before in the past and this time they offered to bring it back to Nigeria and Lagos precisely. City of David and Lagos Preparatory School were the two schools selected,” he noted.

The NASCOM boss revealed that the essence of the tour was to encourage kids to take to sports.

“We are trying to encourage kids to participate in sports and anything that can be used to achieve this is welcomed.


“We are leveraging on the presence of the trophy to encourage and attract our own local leagues and more importantly schools competition such as the Lagos Junior League and Channels National Kids Cup.

“The emphasis is on schools sports and we the members of the Youth Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), our effort is on school children, very young children to participate in sports.