The football revolution continues in Edo state, and the latest is that a big football league aimed at unearthing real talented young players is in the pipeline.

The EDOGRAFF Developmental League, which comes up soon in Benin city, is divided into 2 categories, Under 14 and Under 17.

Edo state is notably full of skillful young players and the aim of the Developmental League is to provide a platform where genuinely young players will have a long program which would afford them the opportunity to showcase their talents for months.

The league Is being organised chiefly by famous talent developer Austin Ogieriakhi, a very successful soccer coach who has developed a number of top class professionals.

What makes this league all the more interesting is that the Edo state FA is backing the competition and the savoir faire of the organiser as well as the organisational strenght that the FA will being will ensure that teams and fans enjoy a great footballing experience.

Ogieriakhi spoke with News Express about the Developmental League, and here is an excerpt of the conversation:

Q. You have a good history of organising grassroots tournaments, why is the coming EDOGRAFF league for Under 14 and 17 unique?

Ogieriakhi: The purpose of the EDOGRAFF DEVELOPMENTAL LEAGUE is all about discovering young talents, engaging them against other unfriendly activities and developing them for future value

Q. How do you hope to make stakeholders like the Edo FA, sponsors, and corporate bodies invest more in a competition like this, beyond just recognising that it is taking place?

Ogieriakhi: I like what the Edo FA is already doing for us, we are encouraged by the office’s encouragement by giving us the opportunity to make the young players busy with what they are discovered for, we are ready make the young players exhibit good characters beyond just football, through this great engagement, crimes are reduced in our society. We are hoping more corporate individuals and bodies can throw their weight behind the league by way of sponsorship, so that, together we can better the lot of football in Nigeria and help society to harness good sporting talents into something worthwhile.

Q. Arsenal youngster Max Dowman became the youngest player to score in the English Premier League at 16 years old recently. Do you see any player from the teams participating in the EDOGRAFF under 17 league capable of making such impact in the Nigerian professional league?

Ogieriakhi: Yes, we have lots of young players who are full of enthusiasm, showing skills, and scoring goals like the young boy in the present Arsenal of English premier League 2025/2026 season. I’m interested in finding out who will make the kind of big breakthrough that the English boy has made, but I believe the raw talents are there in the different participating clubs in the league and hopefully this will be a big avenue for some of them to impress professional clubs who can then give them a platform at the biggest levels.

Q. What are the prize incentives for the participating teams in the EDOGRAFF league?

Ogieriakhi: Primarily, the league is not all money. It’s all about engagement and development, but if sponsors come in, there will be tokens at the end of the league. However, we had a test version of the league last year for the under 19s where we gave out 4 sets of jerseys, trophies and some individual awards with the assistance of our esteemed sponsors, IGBINOMWANHIA CHILDREN FIRST FOUNDATION and Mr Kelvin Enofe. They were good supporters, this year, we look forward to more sponsors as we increase gift items at the end of the league.

Q. Which are the traditional strong teams at the under 14 level in Edo state, and why?

Ogieriakhi: In the under 14 teenagers, we have strong teams like PAULSON, ROLLINGS, NAMO SPORTS, SAMCO FC, ETC

These teams have been dominants in Edo State now, and they have good records of winning major competitions like the BRIGHT OSAYI U13 and OLIVIA WATER under 15 competitions and other major competitions organized by the Edo FA.

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