The head coach of Nigeria’s U17 girls, the Flamingos, Bankole Olowookere, has expressed gratitude to the National Sports Commission (NSC) and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for the opportunity given to the U17 girls’ team, Team IJA, to participate in the 22nd National Sports Festival (NSF) currently taking place in Ogun State.
Olowookere’s side, who have already secured qualification for the 2024 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup, finished as runners-up in the female football event after a dramatic penalty shootout loss to Team Delta in Tuesday’s final at the MKO Abiola Sports Complex, Abeokuta.
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“First and foremost, kudos to the NSC that invited us to participate, and also the NFF,” Olowookere said. “The festival provided an opportunity for us to test some of the new players that we have scouted through local tournaments and the league. We were able to integrate some of them into the squad.”
The coach praised the performance of his team, particularly the defence and the third-choice goalkeeper, who played all the matches and did not concede a single goal in regulation time.
He attributed the final defeat to inexperience, noting that the goalkeeper misjudged a penalty during the shootout by parrying the ball into the net instead of away from danger. “We have also seen that we need to train more in the area of penalty kicks as we prepare for the World Cup,” he added.
Olowookere also lauded the Team IJA initiative, describing it as a valuable platform for player discovery and development. “Sincerely, the Team IJA concept is commendable. We were also able to scout new players from some other states that featured in the female football event,” he said.
