AfriSportPro youth league to feature 72 U-19 teams, over 1,000 players nationwide
Chukwuebuka Ugwu, Chairman of the AfriSportPro Youth League Nigeria, has announced that 72 under-19 teams featuring more than 1,000 young players will participate in the league’s inaugural nationwide season, set to kick off on August 10. The AfriSportPro Youth League is designed to revolutionize grassroots football into a vehicle for youth empowerment, national cohesion, and […]
AfriSportPro youth league to feature 72 U-19 teams, over 1,000 players nationwide
Chukwuebuka Ugwu, Chairman of the AfriSportPro Youth League Nigeria, has announced that 72 under-19 teams featuring more than 1,000 young players will participate in the league’s inaugural nationwide season, set to kick off on August 10.
The AfriSportPro Youth League is designed to revolutionize grassroots football into a vehicle for youth empowerment, national cohesion, and global exposure.
Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja, Ugwu emphasized the league’s broader mission to create real developmental pathways for Nigerian youth through sport.
“The AfriSportPro Youth League was developed with a clear focus: to identify, nurture, and expose grassroots football talent, and to create real pathways to local and global opportunities for youth across the country,” he said.
Ugwu revealed that the league is currently active in six pilot states—Osun, FCT, Kaduna, Akwa Ibom, Plateau, and Imo—with 72 teams and over 1,000 players engaged. “We believe that for Nigerian youth, talent is not the problem but opportunity is. So we’ve created a league structure that is data-driven, globally visible, and technically sound.”
He highlighted a strategic partnership with Wyscout, the world’s leading football scouting and analytics platform. “Every match is not just recorded, but backed by comprehensive data analytics, made available to clubs and scouts anywhere in the world. This means our players aren’t just playing, they’re being seen, measured, and tracked.”
The league also integrates education and social responsibility, including anti-corruption messaging in collaboration with the EFCC. Ugwu further announced ties with the Ministry of Arts, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy to promote the “Visit Nigeria” campaign.
Teams will play in a round-robin format within their states, totaling 66 matches per state over 11 weeks, followed by a national knockout stage to wrap up a 12-week season.