5000 schools for 2017 COPA Coca-Cola

No less than 5000 secondary schools across Nigeria will battle for honours in the 2017 edition of the COPA CocaCola soccer tournament for U-15 players.

At a press briefing in Lagos yesterday to announce the kick-off of tournament, the Marketing Manager of Coca-Cola Nigeria, Cletus Onyebuoha, said this year’s competition has been divided into three stages which include grassroots, group and final stages.

He explained that at the grassroots level, schools from the 36 states and Abuja will compete for a chance to represent their states at the regional stage.

“During the group stage, each region will be divided into groups from which a winner will emerge from the tournament sequential structure for the next round. The final stage is the national finals,” Onyebuoha explained further.

He also said that at the national level, players in the top three teams and top three schools will benefit from an educational trust fund totaling N22 million, as well as cash prizes totaling N2 million.

Onyebuoha added that the tournament which is now in its ninth edition has contributed largely to the success of some of the participants who are now pursuing a career as professional footballers.

Also speaking, the president of Nigeria School Sports Federation, Ibrahim Muhammed, warned participating schools against fielding over age players.

Muhammed lauded the initiatives, saying that Copa Coca-Cola supports Nigeria’s drive to raise the educational standards of pupils through sporting activities.