Modalities have been intensified for the first ever Coal City Neighbourhood Football League Season 1 put together by GOFEC Movies Ind. Limited in partnership with the Police Campaign Against Cultism and Other Vices(POCACOV).
The National Coordinator of POCACOV, CSP Ebere Amaraizu, making the announcement on Tuesday, noted that: “the Coal City Neighbourhood Football League Season 1 will take place later this year and will cut across youths from all the neighbourhoods in the state participating under a team to compete with others.
“I thank our POCACOV Ambassador Domben Chisom, the chief executive officer of GOFEC MOVIES Ind. Ltd for his understanding of the fact concerning giving the Nigerian children and youths strategic leadership direction and also engaging them meaningfully through sports especially the game of football.
“I also appreciate in a special way the great commitment of Oparaji Emeka, the tournament coordinator and also the team manager Lamray Football Club of Enugu and all the Neighbourhood team coordinators and officials.
“This Coal City Neighbourhood Football League Season 1 will serve as a dual platform of Anti-Vice football league and also a platform of talent hunt and discovery by football intermediaries, various football club coaches and managers as many scouts have been contacted to be in all the venues of the league matches.”
Explaining the rationale behind using the football sports to further drive the campaign against Curtis, Amaraizu said: “We are using football in the campaign against cultism and other vices because apart from being a unifying factor, it greatly occupy a space in the minds of our children and youths.
“It is also a way of fulfilling POCACOV stakeholders’ engagement programme and POCACOV campaign methods of advocacy, awareness creation and sensitization, mentoring and re-orientation.”
He added that, “youths as future champions need to shun cultism, substance/drug abuse, sexual and gender-based violence, thuggery/violence and other vices.
“The Tournament will be used to develop the game of football from the grassroot level and empowering youths who are leaders of tomorrow and making them to channel their energy and minds on meaningful ventures.
“We are partnering with the Enugu state football association and also the Referee Association as well as Enugu state commissioner for youths and sports and the ministry of tourism, amongst others.”
“During the tournament, notable clubs and their coaches and scouts are expected to come and see what players they may want in any position in a football team. Draws have been made and we are putting finishing touches which will cut across maintenance of COVID-19 protocols amongst other things.
“POCACOV is a youth friendly programme of the Nigeria Police Force under IGP Mohammed Abubakar Adamu aimed at saving Nigerian children and youths from the claws of cultism, substance/drug abuse, sexual and gender based violence, thuggery and other vices through a well structured community-oriented policing approaches and involving different stakeholders.
“GOFEC/POCACOV Coal City neighbourhood football league is providing alternatives to Nigerian youths with purposeful ease and that is why it is community driven and more than a football league,” Amaraizu concluded.
