The maiden edition of Royal Pallas Queens Basketball Tournament just ended and guess whose name was on all the jerseys? As official sponsors, AFA Sports builds upon existing initiatives and includes new elements that reach beyond the court to demonstrate its commitment to championing female athletes.
Already the official optimum partner of Nigeria’s female basketball team, D’Tigress, AFA Sports further hones its plan to pursue the development of sports in Nigeria, with a dignified stance to model the next generation of women in sports after the competitive lot currently making waves.
Contributing to the increasing popularity of women’s sport, is personal to the AFA brand not only because we are a sportswear company, but because we have seen major societal and cultural changes around the world and we plan to enable same distinctive shift in the sports landscape.
Pallas Kunaiyi -Akpanah, the convener of the tournament and a professional athlete with Nigeria’s D’Tigress and Belgium’s Basket Namur Capitale, echoes our desire to inspire and empower the next generation of women in sports.
The tournament proposed to run annually, comprised 32 players grouped into four teams – Hakkan Hurricans, Calimax Thunder, Don Bulls and F&B Tigress – with eight girls and a coach per team.
During the three-day activities which commenced on the 31st of August and ended on the 2nd of September, our Chief Executive Officer, Ugo Udezue made a brief stop at the camp during which he offered words of encouragement to Pallas Queens.
“The female folk deserve 100 percent support in every sector. The world has evolved beyond the days when women were made to stay by the sides and watch men take centre stage. You are all strong women and you are doing great by pursuing your dreams. The strength and passion that I have seen you put into this sport is admirable and I encourage you to keep it going. We at AFA Sports will continue to support you in any way that we can.”
The players were excited to be getting same opportunity as their male counterparts. A cross section of them noted that it has been hard getting the world to notice their skills as it has always been boys running the show. They also pointed out that some female players have been closeted for far too long and it might not be easy getting them to come out of their shells.