Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, on Friday, kicked off the Prosperity Cup football tournament season 6, in Yenagoa, with over two hundred teams jostling for glory in 22 centres across the eight local government areas of the state.
Senator Diri, who was represented by his Deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo took the symbolic kick-off to herald this year’s edition.
Governor Diri noted that Bayelsa has taken sports as a major tool to take the youths away from drugs, criminality and other social vices, pointing out that the successes recorded in the last edition are a testament to the feat achieved.
According to him, the state was committed to the development of sports which has amassed numerous achievements in the last four years of the prosperity administration, particularly para soccer and the National Sports Festival.
He urged fans and stakeholders to take the tournament seriously as the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports endorsement of the tournament for the next two years was indicative of the global recognition accorded to the tournament.
He resounded the call for multinationals, international oil companies and the organized private sector to invest in sports development, stating that investing in sporting activities, IOCs and the corporate world would have contributed to the growth and development of society.
He stressed that Sports was a veritable tool to positively channel the energies of the youths, thereby reducing the rate of crime, social vices and other forms of violence.
In his remark, the Director General of the tournament, Mr Ono Akpe, said the tournament would witness three-in-one competition; the para soccer, female tournament and female edition, stressing that he was pleased with the exciting display of football.
Akpe explained that in the coming days, the tournament would kick off across the length and breadth of the state, maintaining that Bayelsans should expect the best grassroots football in the various centres.