Four Schools Qualify for Semi Finals of 2011 NNPC/Shell Cup

Four schools have emerged from the quarter finals of the 2011 edition of NNPC/Shell Cup, played in Ilorin, Ughelli, Kaduna and Port Harcourt on March 11 and 12, 2011. They include defending champions, Government Secondary School, Owerri, Imo State, Brilliant Secondary School, Akure, Ondo State, Government Secondary School, Minjibir, Kano State and Government Day Secondary School Gwadabawa, Yola in Gongola State.

The schools will play in the semi finals and final between April 1 – 3, 2011 at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.  The 13th edition of the NNPC/Shell Cup kicked off with the state preliminaries on December 8, 2010, providing a platform for more than 110,000 secondary school students to compete for honours in Nigeria’s biggest youth football championship.

The Managing Director of The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria, Mr. Mutiu Sunmonu, said: “SPDC joint venture initiated and sponsored the annual NNPC/Shell Cup competition since 1998 as a platform for Nigerian youths to nurture their football skills while still in school. We are happy that this aim has been achieved.”

NNPC/Shell Cup is organised in collaboration with the Nigeria Schools Sports Federation (NSSF) and has continued to provide a platform for discovery of young football talents. In the 2010 edition, players like Adamu Azeez, Kenneth Kumbur, Precious Ndukaku and Egunleti Ebenezer who emerged as best goalkeeper, most valuable player, best midfielder and best defender respectively, were selected by the National U-17 Coach to play in the Africa U-17 Cadet Championship.