By Olalekan Marvellous
Nnamdi Azikiwe Hall Football Association has announced the launch of the Zik Hall League. Compared to the inter-floor competition, which seems to be the sole active football competition in the hall, the Zik Hall League is set to open to the university community as a whole.
According to the Sports Minister, Ayobami Ojeniyi, the Zik Hall League is an initiative born out of the low participation of Zikites in football in recent sessions.
"It's also an avenue for Zikites to participate in a tournament that has rewards attached to it. It's a well-known fact that sports are more interesting when there's a price attached to them," he continued.
"Also, the Zik Hall League is aimed at bringing more publicity to Zik Hall and her environment. It's a competition that's open to all UItes, whether now or before."
"Finally, Zik Hall League is an avenue for entertainment and relaxation. The bants, trolls, jesters, transfer window saga, and anxiety are part of the things that make the entertainment industry very interesting."
ZHPO gathered from the information released by the sports committee that the competition is open to all and not limited to just Zikites. It is set to feature ten teams competing in an home and away format across 18 match weeks . Selecting managers is up to the teams, and on Thursday, 20th of June, details on the entry price will be released. A minimum of six Zikites and a maximum of six Non-Zikites and two graduates from UI are needed for any team configuration.
Meanwhile, the Sports Minister also mentioned that measures have been put in place by the Disciplinary Committee of the Football Association to guarantee appropriate behavior. A letter has also been written to Red Cross to make sure health-related provisions are in place. The Football Association which has also been inaugurated for the smooth running of the competition has Daniel Olowu as it's head.
According to a member of the Football Association, the committee in charge of the League, the competition which is set to commence in July will go on till around December 22.
