The Youths and Sports Team have emerged champions of the Agbado Oke-Odo Community Cup, organised by Akinwale Israel in conjunction with the Community Development Committee (CDC) to promote youth engagement, talent discovery and unity among communities in Local Government.
The team defeated Oke-Odo 7-6 on penalties after a thrilling final ended 1-1 at full time.
The decisive encounter attracted a large turnout of youths and other members of the communities, who came out to support their teams and witness the climax of the competition.
The final lived up to expectations, producing tension, drama and moments of impressive football artistry from both sides. Neither team could find the decisive goal in regulation time, forcing the encounter into a penalty shootout.
The Youths and Sports Team eventually held their nerve to claim the championship, thanks to the team’s goalkeeper, Adelani Davies, who saved one of the penalties.
In the third-place match played earlier, Aboru Bombers defeated Ifesowapo 3-2 to secure the bronze position.
The tournament featured 16 teams, with each of the 14 Joint Community Development Associations presenting a team. The APC also presented a team, while the Supervisor for Youths and Sports, Fisayo Fadipe, assembled another side.
‘We want our youths positively engaged’
Speaking with Community Standard, the brain behind the competition, Akinwale Israel, said the idea was motivated by the need to revive community football and provide young people with positive alternatives to social vices.
Akinwale recalled that street and community football were once common, providing young people with spaces to interact, develop their skills and spend their time positively.
He, however, lamented that many of the spaces previously used for playing football had disappeared.
“Growing up, we played street soccer, community soccer and all those stuffs. All of a sudden, all those things died off. All the properties we used for playing football had all been sold. Nobody is keeping free land anymore.”
According to him, the disappearance of such recreational spaces could contribute to youth involvement in social vices, hence the decision to create a new platform through the competition.
“We want to curb social vices by engaging ourselves positively. Positive engagement would curb social vices. That is the main reason why we organised this competition, and to bring about unity among the communities.”
Akinwale said the competition would be sustained as an annual event, providing youths with a regular platform for sporting activities and community interaction.
CDC targets talent discovery
Chairman of the Community Development Committee, CDC, Earnest Olabowale Kasumu, said the CDC supported the initiative because of its potential to discover football talents and provide young people with meaningful opportunities.
Kasumu stressed that the competition was not organised merely for entertainment, but to identify talents capable of representing the LCDA, Lagos State and Nigeria.
“I’m not organising a football match just for the fun of it. I want a football match where we can get talent that will be able to represent the local government, represent the state and represent Nigeria.”
He said meaningful youth engagement through sports could help tackle social vices while also creating economic opportunities within the communities.
According to him, the tournament had generated economic activity, with food vendors, drink sellers, snack sellers and other small businesses benefiting from the large gathering.
Kasumu also called on individuals and organisations to invest in other sporting activities, including boxing, basketball and table tennis, to provide young people with more opportunities for positive engagement.
He said his plan was to develop a standard football team capable of representing the LCDA at major competitions.
‘Embrace every opportunity’
The CDC chairman urged youths to take advantage of sporting platforms created for their development, describing such initiatives as investments in their future.
He said individuals who were prepared to invest their resources in youth development should be supported and encouraged.
Kasumu noted that the success of athletes and sportsmen who have gone on to achieve national and international recognition often started with somebody providing them with an opportunity.
The Supervisor for Youths and Sports, Fisayo Fadipe, described the grand finale as huge success, noting that “beyond the excitement on the pitch, the occasion provided a valuable platform for community engagement, youth inclusion and the promotion of unity through sports.”
He added “this symbolic moment set the stage for an exciting football encounter and underscored the importance of investing in grassroots sports as a tool for youth development.”
Fadipe commended Israel and the CDC, Agbado Oke-Odo, for putting together what he described as an “impactful initiative,” adding that “programmes like this go beyond football; they build bridges, strengthen community bonds, discover young talents and create positive avenues for youth participation.”
The final match was witnessed by dignitaries including the Senior Special Assistant to the Lagos State Governor on Grassroots Sports Development, Adebanji Adeoye Atewogboye, the Secretary to the Local Government, Buhari Sulaimon, alongside community leaders, organisers, supporters and other stakeholders.
More than football
Beyond the trophy and individual honours, the competition provided an opportunity for youths from different communities to interact, compete and build relationships through sport.
The large turnout at the final underscored the level of interest generated by the competition, as youths and other residents turned out in numbers to support their teams.
For the organisers, the bigger objective is to restore the place of community sports as a tool for youth development, talent discovery, social cohesion and economic activity.
And perhaps that is the real story behind the tournament: when a community gives its young people a pitch, a purpose and an opportunity, it gives them more than football, it gives them a reason to belong.
