Gov Ayade directs club management to fetch potential sports talent in Cross River

Efio-Ita Nyok|2 November 2017

In the press briefing, Wednesday, bordering on the 2017 edition of the Cross River State Governor’s Cup Competition tagged Ben Ayade Mega Trophy, the Honourable Commissioner for Youths and Sports Development in Cross River State, Mr Asu Okang, has informed that the Executive Governor of Cross River has directed the management of state-owned Rovers Football Club to isolate potential sports talent in the state. 

According to him, 'His Excellency The governor issued a clear directive that the management of Rovers Football of Calabar, which is the state football team, should be present at all the venues where all the matches will be played to scout for young talents that will make up the state team for 2018 season'.

Okang observed that Governor Ben Ayade's interest in sports is because of the perception that it serves as a breeding ground for isolating and cultivating sports potentials. 

According to him, ten out of thirty-one participants from the SIA One Academy which recently took part in the football competition in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State are due to depart the country for foreign participation as well as other scouting activities by other foreign clubs. 

His words, 'Let me also say that His Excellency the Governor takes special interest in sporting activities, this is because it serves as a breeding ground to cultivate and come up with talented young Cross Riverians and even non-Cross Riverian alike who will be participating to ensure that they make up the state team and even go beyond'. 

Continuing Okang said that, 'If you recall, there have been consistent activities within the last two months in the sports industry, only recently the team led by the SA Sport to the SIA One Talent Hunt in Uyo where Cross River State had 31 participants and about 10 were selected to make up the national SIA One Academy are due to leave the country for foreign participation and for other scouting activities by other clubs.

On his part, the Special Adviser on Sports to the Governor, Hon. Effiom Effiwatt, said that, 'having understood His Excellency’s vision clearly, we are poised to deliver a very beautiful competition but emphasis is for identification of talent at the grass root level in all the centers that will be used for this competition'. In a phone interview with Effiwatt, it's further gleaned that the SIA One Academy is the football club of former Super Eagles coach Sampson Siasia, which in collaboration with the Office of the Special Assistant on NDDC to the Governor is embarking on a football amnesty programme. 

The competition, according to Okang, will have over one million naira given out to the winners as star prize with trophies in a spread that goes thus: 500,000 Naira with a trophy will be given to the winner of the competition while 300,000 Naira with a trophy will go for the second winner as the third goes home with 200,000 Naira and a trophy. There shall be other consolation prizes such as highest goal scorer, best goal keeper, etc.

The venues for the competition shall be Ikom, Ogoja, and Calabar, with with Okang explaining that Calabar will have about 2 venues. This is because there are more clubs registering with Calabar metropolis than outside Calabar. 

The competition commences from 10th November through 3rd December 2017. 

Efio-Ita Nyok                                                 Is a Blogger, the Editor & Publisher of NegroidHaven