… FC Barcelona Academy MOU to be Signed
Director General of Nigeria’s biggest grassroots football spectacle, the Bayelsa Governor’s Football Tournament, tagged the Prosperity Cup, Mr. Ono Akpe says the FC Barcelona Academy in Bayelsa will give grassroots players in the State a new direction in the pursuit of their footballing career.
Mr. Akpe made the assertion in an interview with journalists ahead of the grand finale of Season 8 of the Bayelsa Governor’s Football Tournament.
He noted that due to the philosophy and focus of the FC Barcelona team, a team of scouts were sent to different centres during the preliminary stage of the tournament, to identify young talents in the competition within the age bracket of 13 to 19, pointing out that players would be harnessed and assessed by the FC Barcelona technical team.
According to him, the organisers of the Prosperity Cup are very intentional this year to ensure that beyond the prize money and trophy, that sports development is taken to a level where grassroots players in the State can have the opportunity to fly the state’s flag at both the national and international stage.
Mr. Akpe said ensuring that grassroots footballers earn a living through football was the reason behind setting up the FC Barcelona academy, for which a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will be signed on the 8th of May, 2026 during the grand finale of the tournament.
He explained that the FC Barcelona officials would be in Yenagoa for a period of one week for a scouting programme, assessment of facilities in the State, meeting with relevant state government officials, and signing the MoU that would crystalize into Bayelsa Starlet Academy, which will eventually metamorphose into the FC Barcelona Academy.
The DG asserted that the coming of the FC Barcelona Academy was going to help the tournament to have a structured arrangement where players that are discovered in the competition will have the opportunity to ply their trade with FC Barcelona and other European football giants.
He further explained that one of the biggest challenges faced by grassroots football developers across the country is the fact that when a good player is identified and taken outside the shores of the country, football agents shortchange the clubs, maintaining that the act has become a problem to the development of sports.
Mr Akpe opined that with the structured academy in the State, FC Barcelona would principally be involved in all transfer processes, saying that any player who leaves the country either by loan or outright sale would go under the watch of FC Barcelona provided they came from the academy.
With the grand finale of the competition coming up on Friday, 8th of May, 2026, Mr. Akpe believes that the tournament has lived up to its expectations, starting with the preliminary round, LGA finals, round of 32, round of 16 and the quarter finals.
He commended the Governor, Senator Douye Diri, the Deputy Governor, Dr Peter Akpe and the Commissioner for Sports Development, Dr Daniel Igali for their unwavering commitment to the development of grassroots football in the State, describing this year’s support as massive.
He equally lauded the tournament’s sponsors, Premium Trust Bank, Linkage Assurance, NDDC, NCDMB, Nigeria Customs Service, Binad Table Water, Bayelsa State Board of Internal Revenue and King George’s Court for investing in grassroots sports development.
Prosperity Cup DG Predicts Brighter Future for Bayelsa Youths
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