Nigeria Cricket Federation has announced that 58 teams have entered the fifth edition of the PwC National Under-17 Cricket Championship, with regional elimination rounds set for January 20th, 2024.
The General Manager of the Federation, Emeka Igwilo, said the fifth edition of the event has attracted more participation than expected, as the event continues to be one of the core events for the grassroots development effort.
“This year, twenty-five states have registered girls’ teams, while thirty-three boys’ teams are coming from the states for the scheduled zonal eliminations that are expected to run from January 20th to 28th, 2024.”
Igwilo added that the zonal elimination will take place across six regions of the country simultaneously and is expected to produce the regional finalists that will feature in the finals of the event later in February in Abuja.
“One of the key things that this event has achieved for us is the continual supply of grassroots talent that eventually fills the national team’s spot. It also compliments all the efforts of our development officers across the country.”
In total, 812 players will be taking part in the regional elimination championship, which, among other things, raises the impact of the game across the country.
Obioma Ubah, Partner and Corporate Responsibility Leader at PwC Nigeria, the title sponsors of the championship, said that the firm’s involvement in developmental Cricket over the last five years has created an important avenue for the expression and promotion of such values as teamwork, leadership, and a deep sense of nationalism among the youth of Nigeria.
“We are impressed with our partnership with the Cricket Federation in the organisation of this championship. One success story is the fact that the event is one of the few with the highest gender inclusion percentage. In the last four years, eighty percent of the participants have been girls. If you consider the national outlook of the event and the demography that it caters to, you will see the point of alignment with the our values as a firm.”
Obioma noted that the event is one of the ways PwC Nigeria is bringing her purpose to life and making sustainable impact on a national scale.
The finals of the event has been scheduled to round off at a national finals from February 7th to 11th at the twin oval of the MKO Abiola National Stadium in Abuja.
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