Abuja to host 7th National U-17 Cricket Championship
The Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) has announced that the seventh edition of the National U-17 Cricket Championships for boys and girls will take place from March 10 to 15 at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium Oval in Abuja.
The championship follows the conclusion of zonal qualifiers held across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, where the best young talents were selected to represent their regions at the national finals.
In the South-West qualifiers staged in Abeokuta, Ekiti State claimed the female title, while Lagos State emerged champions in the male category.
Ebonyi State topped the female division in the South-East zone, while Imo State secured the male crown.
Edo State, Kaduna State, and Gombe State delivered dominant performances in the South-South, North-West, and North-East zones respectively, winning both the boys’ and girls’ titles in their regions.
In the North-Central qualifiers, Niger State emerged winners in the male category, while Kogi State edged Kwara State to secure the female title.
The zonal tournaments form a crucial part of Nigeria’s cricket development pathway, offering young players the opportunity to compete against top talents from across the country before advancing to the national stage.
Several players who have featured in the tournament in previous years have gone on to represent Nigeria at the U-19 T20 World Cups for both men and women before progressing to the senior national teams.
According to the NCF, the competition remains a key platform for talent identification and player development in the country.
“The National U-17 Championship is the biggest age-grade tournament in Nigeria and West Africa. It serves as a platform to identify the next generation of national team players,” the federation said in a statement during the qualifiers.
“Currently, about 70 percent of players in the senior men’s and women’s national teams have passed through this system, while all national U-19 players in both male and female categories are products of the tournament.”
Since its inception in 2019, the National U-17 Championships have continued to grow as a vital pathway for emerging cricketers. The inaugural edition featured 19 states in the boys’ category and 15 in the girls’ category, numbers that increased to 33 and 29 respectively in the 2023 and 2024 editions.
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