Youth teams of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) will be arriving their designated centres for the zonal qualifiers from Tuesday for kick-off on 1st February.
Chairman of the NPFL Youth League Committee, Pastor Emeka Inyama disclosed that the start of the tournament will be preceded by the screening exercise on 31st January to ensure proper documentation of players.
The 20 NPFL clubs have been zoned on regional basis for preliminary qualifying matches in five centres. Lafia centre is for clubs in North Central, while Kaduna will host clubs from the Northwest and Northeast. Ekiti is the centre for Southwest clubs, while Enugu is host to Southeast clubs and Port Harcourt for South South clubs.
According to the fixtures, matches at each centre will commence at 8am and concluded by Noon.
Inyama said: “We want to get it right at building a stronger NPFL through setting up a proper Youth League culture which is the future of elite leagues all over the world”.
He commended NPFL Chairman, Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye and the Board members for the foresight in setting up Youth League and the support to his committee’s work.
“I can tell you that we are all set for the start of the Youth League season and are looking forward to a very healthy competition.
“It must be reiterated that participation is compulsory for all 20 NPFL Clubs as there would serious consequences for any club that fails to be part of this”, Inyama emphasised.
