Organizers of the 2023 Zenith Bank Delta State Principals 2023 HideaPlus Limited have promised the highest form of organization in this year’s edition of the competition, which will kick off October 5 in the 25 local government areas of Delta State.
Speaking in a chat with Sports Vanguard, the Chief Operating Officer of HideaPlus Limited, Tony Pemu said, “From our experiences in the past, we have realized that most of what we did in previous editions was manual. This year, we have digitized our operations, starting with the registration exercise. With this, we can track the talents from the first kick of the ball to the final. Talents discovered along the way could easily be picked from our database for future engagement and nurturing.”
He continued, “We have also gone beyond just getting football talents. What we have in store is that, we want to also identify students who will be interested in running football commentary, football analysis or coaching and train them. It is not just about those who only know how to play. Football is an industry where many can be engaged in different aspects of the sport.”
Pemu said, “One good thing about this year’s Zenith Bank Delta State Principals Cup is that after the tournament, we are discussing with the government of Delta State how to set up a football academy in one of the stadiums with a pool of discovered talents from the competition. Those discovered and trained through the academy could go into professional football in the future.”
He said the ambitious project is backed by the La Liga. “We are in partnership with LaLiga Nigeria to further implement our plans for a football academy,” Pemu affirmed.
He informed me that the competition will begin on October 5 at St Patrick’s College, Asaba, and ends on November 16 at the Stephen Keshi Ultra-modern Stadium Asaba.
On the prizes, Pemu recalled, “In the last three years, winners have taken home 18-seater bus and N1 million as first prize. There have also been various individual awards including the Highest Goal Scorer, Best Goalkeeper, and Most Valuable Player. We are talking with the sponsors for an upward review of the prizes.” he said.
