Curious Nigerian tennis players hoping to participate in this year’s NCC Tennis League will have to look no further away as the organisers have given an idea of when the new league season will commence.
According to Godwin Kienka, the Director of the International Tennis Academy (ITA), the body in charge of the league, there are chances that action will resume in the second quarter of the year, if things go according to plan.
Kienka, a former tennis player and umpire, told Nigerian Tennis Live that his Academy was simply looking at pushing out a couple of junior tournaments where some young chaps can showcase their talents and be identified by teams in need of junior stars to complete their squads.
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| Team Civil Defence led by Abdulmumin Babalola are the defending champions of the NCC League. |
He stated that about two junior tournaments are likely to be played between February and March to allow the players launch out before hitting the big stage, where he believes they are targeting.
“We are likely to commence in the second quarter. This is because we want to push in the junior tournaments first before the second quarter when we are most likely to commence the league.
“We want many of our juniors exposed so that the teams will know which of them to use ahead of the commencement of the tennis league. This year is already taking shape and we hope to have it continue that way.
“The junior players are raring to go and want to defeat their senior colleagues as always so we will give them that platform to showcase their talents before the league opener,” the ever-smiling Kienka informed.
Team Civil Defence won the 2017 edition of the league in a rather ruthless manner with team lead, Abdulmumin Babalola and Clifford Enosoregbe boasting some of the best performances of the league season.
The NCC League offered N23million in prize money at the 2017 edition and players will be looking forward to an increment in the reward this year.