African EdTech giant, uLesson Education has been announced as part sponsor of the biggest youth cricket event in the country, the 4th PWC – NCF National Under 17 Cricket Championship. The competition which has served as a pathway for identifying the next generation of Nigerian cricketers starts on the 20th of January with zonal qualifiers taking place across all geo-political regions of the country and culminates in a week-long grand finale in February which will see a constellation best young players across the country congregate in the capital.
Senior Vice President, of Academics and Curriculum at uLesson, Mr Iheanyi Akwitti described the partnership as a logical move. “Our goal, not only as a company but also as a community of educators and parents is to produce well-rounded young people and to help all learners be the best version of themselves and sports is one of the ways to achieve that”.
This is not the first time uLesson is supporting cricket in Nigeria. Through its partnership with many schools, the company has contributed to programmes like The Middle Stump’s Greenshoots Summer Camp which has seen over 1200 young boys and girls introduced to the game.
Oluwafemi Fadipe, Vice President of Marketing at uLesson, says they are excited about aligning with the impact the game of cricket is having across the nation, especially the demography that it is appealing to.
“Cricket has been one of the sports that has shown itself as being organized and also being deliberate about its developmental plans. The Under 17 Championship has been one event that has gained traction, especially with the school-age kids, which interestingly lies squarely within uLesson’s target population.”
He added that among other things, the national outlook of the event, given that over 30 states entered for the event last year provides a leverage point for both organisations, especially as it concerns youth development.
“On a grander scale, the Nigeria Cricket Federation has a goal in reaching out to 250, 000 kids yearly across the nation, and at uLesson, we believe partnering to equip these boys and girls will see us build a better future and stronger nation in the end.” He added.
The General Manager of the Nigeria Cricket Federation, Emeka Igwilo has added that the 4th PWC/NCF National Under 17 Cricket Championship will flag off with regional qualifiers from January 20th- 30th, 2023.
According to him, “We will have each state that has registered send their team to the regional qualifying zones within the set dates and slug it out to qualify for the national finals, from there. These regional qualifying centres have been set up across the six geo-political zones for ease of participation and spread as well.”
More than 850 players registered and took part in the regional qualifiers last year. Organisers are already preparing for bigger participation across the region for this edition.
“The event keeps growing and it starts from the developmental work that has been put in place by officers and coaches across the states, and we have them in all states of the country. The year 2022 has been very fruitful and hence we look forward to the regional events with optimism, especially chattering the figures we have in terms of entry for the boys and girls teams.” He added.
The national finals in February will feature teams representing each region as the players are drawn from the regional finals.
