Nigeria beach soccer league season 5 kicks-off in Anambra
By Egwuonye Ujuaku
Season 5, Round 2 competition of the Nigeria Beach Soccer League (NBSL) has kicked off at the Moonshine Arena in Nnewi, Anambra State.
This second round, which serves as a qualifier for the Super 6 finals tournament later this year in Akwa Ibom State, features eight teams; including defending champions, Kebbi Fishers.
Other teams are: Anambra Beach Soccer Warriors, Kebbi United BSC, Kada BSC, Nmanko Patigi BSC, Jigawa Gilden Star BSC, Ibom BSC, and Niger BSC.
Anambra is hosting the league for the second time, a development made possible after Professor Victor Madubuko established a beach soccer team, and built a world-class facility for the sport in the state.
The Coordinator and President of the Nigeria Beach Soccer League, Alhaji Mahmud Hadejia, noted that the league is organised in partnership with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), and that the same eight teams that began the league in Kebbi State are competing in Anambra.
He noted that while the national beach team has participated in continental and world championships since the sport arrived in Nigeria in 2005, a formal league was only established in 2020, following NFF approval; adding that the ongoing league is crucial for player development, as the NFF selects players from it to represent the country at global tournaments.
In the opening match of the round, the host team, Anambra Beach Soccer Warriors, suffered a narrow defeat. After a 2-2 draw in regulation time, the Warriors lost 5-6 to defending champions, Kebbi Fishers, in a penalty shootout.
The event attracted numerous sports enthusiasts, including the Vice Chairman of the Anambra State Beach Soccer Association, Prince Chukwudi Orizu, and the state’s former Commissioner for Sports, Dr. Emma Nsedo.
