First Lady of Edo State, Betsy Obaseki, on Tuesday announced a total prize money of N32.5 million for the 4th edition of the Betsy Obaseki Women Football Tournament.
Mrs. Obaseki during a news conference in Benin said the tournament, scheduled for Oct. 2-13, would feature 14 teams, including two internationals from Benin Republic.
The teams include: Edo Queens FC, Fortress Ladies FC, Rivers Angels FC, Nasarawa Amazons FC, Naija Ratel FC, Heartland Queens FC, FC Robo and Ekiti Queens FC.
Others are Delta Queens FC, Confluence Queens FC, Bayelsa Queens FC, Abia Angels FC, Espoir FC de Cotonou, Benin Republic and Aigle Royal d’Adjara – Benin Republic.
She said the winner of the tournament would go home with N10 million, while the first, second and third runners up would grab N 7 million, N5 million and N3 million respectively.
According to the first lady, each of the ten other participating teams will get a consolation prize of N750,000.
She said the tournament, now in its fourth year, had become a premier platform for promoting women’s football in Nigeria.
Mrs. Obaseki underscored the tournament’s impact on grooming and empowering the girl child, grassroots sports development, and promoting socially conscious programs.
“This year’s tournament will feature a seminar with a theme, “Say No to Teenage Pregnancy and Child Marriage,” she said.
She said the seminar was meant to address the prevalence of the issue, particularly in rural areas.
Obaseki asserted that the seminar would focus on raising awareness and generating public interest in the urgent need to eradicate gender-based violence in all its forms in the state.
To ensure sustainability and continuity of the tournament, Mrs. Obaseki said a Board of Trustees comprising private individuals had been set up and would be inaugurated soon.
“I am delighted to state that three of our girls from Edo Queens are currently part of Nigeria’s Falconet team flying the nation’s flag and making us proud at the FIFA U-20 World Cup taking place in Colombia.
“They include Comfort Folorunsho, Chioma Olise and Goodness Osigwe.
“This is in addition to the several international players who have participated in different editions of the tournament who are now making their mark in top-tier clubs across the globe,” she said.
Photo caption: First Lady of Edo State, Mrs. Betsy Obaseki (2nd right) flanked by others during the press conference in Benin on Tuesday.
READ ALSO FROM SPORTING TRIBUNE
NPFL stops Beyond Limit from participating in league
