The organizers of the Dapo Abiodun Pre-season Tournament have released this year’s edition calendar. The prestigious pre-season tournament will hold from 12-21 October, 2021 in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, sportsembassy.com.ng learns
This is the third edition of the pre-season tournament designed to help top clubs in Nigeria prepare for the new season. Shooting Stars have won the previous two editions of the tournament.
Tournament Coordinator Oye Bawala has disclosed that 16 clubs will participate in this year’s edition. Dipo Dina International Stadium, Ijebu-Ode has been the traditional venue for the tournament and it will host 10 NPFL and six NNL clubs next month.
“We have grown from the first edition and we are excited to host the third edition next month. We are happy for the clubs that participated last year for achieving success. The Cup champions, Shooting Stars sealed an NPFL ticket while Rivers United finished with a CAF Champions League ticket. The benefits for all the clubs that participated were huge and the tournament had positive impact.”
The biggest indigenous betting company, Bet9ja and fast-growing airline ValueJet were major sponsors in the second edition. Bawala appreciates the private investors and the Ogun State government.
“We appreciate Ogun State government for their technical support since the first edition of the tournament in 2019, we are happy to contribute to this administration via sports. The economic gain for the State is unprecedented and the positive mileage for the State is enormous.
“Bet9ja and ValueJet added brand value to the tournament last year, we are honoured to have them associate with us. It’s our ultimate target to involve private sectors with historic background from Ogun State. The partnerships with private sectors will make the tournament stronger and make the state hub for football,” said Bawala.
