Nigerian American Football Association (NAFA) on Wednesday opened the national finals of the Nigerian Secondary School Flag Football League (NSSFFL) Season 4 in Abuja, marking another step in the fast rise of flag football in the country.
The league, which started as what NAFA vice president, Oluwaseye Obatolu, once called an “audacious idea,” has now grown into a national programme linking sports with education, skills and youth empowerment.
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Mr Obatolu said the initiative has expanded from a small group of schools to a nationwide system. Eleven states took part in the preliminary rounds, while seven—Oyo, Ondo, Kwara, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Rivers and the FCT—qualified for the 2025 AKETI Bowl III finals.
Both male and female teams will compete this season, a development he described as proof of “a deeper talent pool and rising nationwide enthusiasm.”
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According to NAFA, the sport is growing quickly in schools because it is affordable, safe, inclusive and strongly focused on teamwork and leadership.
“Our role is simple but serious—create pathways,” Mr Obatolu said. “Pathways to education, to skills, to global exposure and, for the ambitious, to elite sport.”
He also noted that scholarship openings, coaching and officiating clinics, and international links for student-athletes are increasing every year. He paid tribute to the late Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu, NAFA’s founding chairman, saying the AKETI Bowl remains a symbol of his support for youth development.
This year’s finals will feature special empowerment sessions for young girls under the GRlDIRON GEM programme, covering leadership, mentorship, hygiene and personal growth. A similar programme for boys will also hold during the finals.
“Flag football is a classroom without walls,” Mr Obatolu added. “Here, students learn strategy, communication, fairness under pressure, and respect for rules.”
In a message delivered on behalf of the Nigerian School Sports Federation (NSSF) President, Olabisi Joseph, the federation’s vice president, Emmanuel Ibong, reaffirmed support for NAFA. He said the NSSF recently signed a five-year partnership with NAFA after three years of informal work between both organisations.
Mr Ibong said the sport offers students positive engagement at a time when many young people are vulnerable to social vices.
“This game may be new in Nigeria, but through NAFA’s training, our teachers quickly adapted and became coaches,” he said. “The quality of play today looks like a sport that has been here for a decade.”
The league’s coordinator, Oluwatobi Abe, said NAFA has strengthened its technical and administrative systems, improved officiating through volunteer training, and increased marketing efforts across participating states.
He announced that cash prizes of one million, seven hundred and fifty thousand and three hundred and fifty thousand naira will be awarded to the top three teams and outstanding student-athletes.
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NAFA also acknowledged support from partners including Browns Nigeria, the local affiliate of the Cleveland Browns, which continues to back youth development programmes around the league.
As the AKETI Bowl III finals begin, NAFA said its long-term goal is to make flag football one of the safest and most organised school sports in the country.
“To every student-athlete, play hard, play fair and be coachable,” Mr Obatolu told participants. “Whether you lift the trophy or not, the lessons you take from this week will stay with you long after graduation.”
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