2024 Balloff Competition Ends in Grand Style

It was football at its best last Saturday, as the 2024 edition of the six-a-side men and women Balloff tournament ended with thrilling excitement at the Syrian Club, Ikoyi, Lagos.

Eight teams comprising of four men and four women participated in the tournament.

These were, ABD FC, Immaculate FC, 2Odds FC and Amsterdam FC, while the female teams include, Asamokee FC, Dream Stars FC, Immaculate FC and Future FC.

In the women’s final it was the Immaculate side that got the better of Future FC 2-1, while in the men’s final, Amsterdam ensured Immaculate did not achieve the double as the Amsterdammers were lone goal winners.

The two winning teams went home with N400,000 prize money, gold medals and a giant trophy.

Cash prizes were also given to the top scorers of the tournament.

In a chat with THISDAY after the tournament, one of the co-founders of Balloff,  Folajimi Ayodeji said the idea of the Balloff tournament was to create a platform for Nigerian youths both male and female to exhibit their football talents.

“Our mantra is everyone can ball. We believe there are not enough opportunities for Nigerians who have the passion for the game to express their talents. That was why we set this up 13 years ago so that people can play in a conducive, enjoyable environment and also have fun,” Ayodeji said.

For the Director, Balloff, Ikechukwu Ofili, the tournament has achieved many milestones since its inception, from getting players to play in professional leagues in the country to having them play in reputable leagues abroad. “A former MVP of this tournament, Toyeeb Gidado, now plays for Ikorodu City in Nigeria Professional Football League, NPFL, he also captained the Nigerian U15 side.

“Also, the 2018 MVP of this tournament, Monday Gift went on to represent the Super Falcons at the World Cup. There are a number of players that have passed through Balloff tournament that are spread across various clubs both at home and abroad and we hope to discover more talents for the nation through this competition,” Ofili noted.

Sustaining a tournament of this magnitude is not always easy, but Ayodeji believes the brotherhood between him and Ofili and the other co-founder, Bidemi Bamboye has kept them going.

“Aside from the fact that the three of us are business partners, we’re actually very good friends and our collective passion have also helped in sustaining the tournament. Most importantly, there are a lot of talents in the country that needs to be harnessed, which is motivating.

“We want to do more events, we want to build our own facility, we want to send more grassroots players abroad, we want to develop the game not only from the player’s point of view but also from the educational point of view. Training for the referees and development of the whole ecosystem, and we see it as achievable,” Ayodeji expressed.

The three musketeers indeed promised a bigger and better Balloff tournament come next year.