NCF Announces 7th Edition of National U-17 Cricket Championship

The Nigeria Cricket Federation has officially announced the launch of the 7th edition of the National U-17 Cricket Championship, which will initiate with zonal qualifying matches throughout the country.

Musa Bodie, the federation's Public Relations Officer (PRO), disclosed this information in a statement issued in Lagos, which was also provided to journalists.

According to him, this year's championship will involve 36 states participating in the zonal qualifying rounds.

Bodie mentioned that the top players from these state teams will be selected to create a squad that will compete in both the Boys’ and Girls’ categories.

He emphasized that the National U-17 championship is the most significant tournament for young players in Nigeria and North West Africa.

Additionally, he noted that this championship serves as a crucial platform for scouting the future national team talents for the country.

"Currently, approximately 70 percent of the players in the senior Men and Women’s National teams have previously participated in this program," Bodie stated.

He added, "Moreover, all players in the national Under-19 categories for both males and females are products of this championship."

Bodie further mentioned that the zonal competitions will commence soon, with the North Central qualifying scheduled from February 26 to March 1 and the North West set for February 25 to March 1.

The North East qualification will also occur from February 25 to March 1, while the South West will take place from February 18 to February 21, and the South East from February 18 to February 22. The South-South qualification is slated for February 25 to March 1.

The PRO indicated that in the North Central zone, matches will be held at the twin cricket oval located at M.K.O Abiola Stadium, Package B, Abuja, while Kaduna State will serve as the venue for the North West.

"Adamawa will host all the states in the North East, while Edo State will be the site for the South-South qualifiers. Government College Owerri will accommodate the South East matches, and Ogun State will host teams from the South West Zone," he concluded.