The 5th edition of the Lead City University National Five A-Side Indoor Hockey Championship scheduled to begin in Ibadan on April 30 would see 25 teams in both the male and female categories compete for honours.
The events’ defending champion in the male class, the Police Machine team of Abuja would be leading other teams from across the country to the first major hockey championship in the 2015 calendar of the Nigeria Hockey Federation.
The women’s category winner in the 2014 edition, the Ibadan Queens tutored by Coach Tunde Odedokun have vowed to retain the title, despite the expected stiff challenges from the runners-up, the Inspector General of Police Babes.
The initiator and General Coordinator of the competition, Mrs. Lade Aloba, has assured that all participating teams would as usual have a swell time playing the dynamic indoor hockey at the much improved indoor court of the Lead City University, Ibadan.
She noted that sponsors like telecommunication giants, MTN, Indomie and Unilever Plc have promised to make the event a memorable one with the provision of mouth-watering gifts and prizes for the winners and other participants in the national championship.
Other quality awards for individual excellence have been donated to the organisers of the Lead City Indoor Hockey by former hockey international star, Mr. Sanjo Jones, who has sent down the customized awards’ plaques from his base in the United Kingdom. Jones, a former Italy-based professional hockey star, last year donated individual awards to players at the President Goodluck Jonathan Men’s Hockey League in Kaduna in August and at the Endyfas Five A-Side Hockey Festival in Lagos.
For the championship that ends on May 3, the Oyo State Hockey Association chairman, Tunde Odedokun, has assured players of fair officiating, adequate security and a comfortable accommodation.
