MTN football scholar season 4 begins with high expectations

There is great excitement among young football enthusiasts who are aiming to combine football with academics as MTN launches the season four of its soccer and academic scholarship, on Tuesday, at Campus Square, Igbosere, Lagos.

With an overwhelming media attendance and strong stakeholders’ presence, including ex-national team players and members of Lagos Sports Council, the Season One winners and the selected Season Three scholars, who are gearing up for their trip to the United States for college scholarship, gave the spectators a taste of what is to expect in the future.

Declaring the Season 4 open, Kola Oyeyemi, general manager, consumer marketing, MTN, gave a short address. He said, “MTN believes in creating a better future for young talented Nigerians who aspire to build a career in football by helping them combine the game with education, at the highest level, in colleges overseas.

“This is in line with the brand’s philosophy of moving its customers from good to better,” he added.

Abdulsalam Oganla, a Season One football scholar who is currently studying Economics at Knox College, in Galesburg, Illinois, United Sates, also spoke about the academic cum soccer talent hunt. He said “MTN Football Scholar has actually given me a chance to be a better person by helping me grow academically and continue my football career.”

The 21-year-old was among over 20,000 talented Nigerians who registered for the scholarship in the year 2010. He is in Nigeria to attend the Season 4 official launch of the project alongside fellow scholar, Ifeanyi Edemba, a native of Enugu and student of Knox College.

The pan-Nigeria project gives teenagers who aspire to play football professionally, with an added academic exposure, an opportunity to realise their dreams. Every year thousands of young talented Nigerians register for the scholarship.

They are moved into camp and screened before taking the necessary international exams, mandatory for admission into colleges in the United States and Canada.
So far, more than a score of talented teenagers are studying in different parts of America, where opportunity abounds for them to combine soccer with education because of the world-class facility available in that part of the world.

The Season 4 auditions are expected to begin this Wednesday in Port Harcourt and Calabar before proceeding to the other cities of Akure, Enugu, Abuja & Lagos.

Meanwhile the 10 current football scholars selected last year will be leaving the
country for colleges overseas, later in the year.