Growth
Photograph of Squash player used for illustration
T’Connor Tuodolo, Founder of the Squash Premier League (SPL), says the competition has recorded significant growth since its inception in 2025.
He said that participation had risen from 26 athletes to 111 in the just-concluded second edition.
Tuodolo stated this while speaking with newsmen at the closing of the second edition of the SPL at Package B of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium on Tuesday in Abuja.
He also called for increased sponsorship to sustain the league and strengthen grassroots squash development in Nigeria.
According to him, the week-long competition, which began on Aug. 3, attracted 111 young athletes from squash academies across the country.
The tournament, themed “Breeding the Next Generation of Champions,” featured Under-15, Under-19, senior, club members and doubles categories.
Tuodolo said the competition was preceded by a coaching and officiating clinic aimed at improving the technical capacity of coaches, referees and young athletes.
“When we started, we had only 26 athletes. The next competition attracted 45 players, followed by about 50, then 69, and now we have 111 participants.
“That shows the league is growing. We are seeing massive growth in the Squash Premier League,” he said.
He said the league was established to bridge gaps in grassroots squash development by providing young players with regular competitions and structured training opportunities.
“ The league initially operated across Under-11, Under-13, Under-15, Under-17 and Under-19 age grades, but some categories were merged because of low participation.
“ We, the organisers, were now working toward restoring the various age categories as participation increased, ,” he said.
He added that staging the competition three times a year would help produce more young players.
Tuodolo cited Blessing Bassey’s victory over one of the top-seeded players, Nanme Rindaps, as evidence of the impact of regular competitions on young athletes.
He said the league had also recorded increased participation from academies and athletes from Niger, Bauchi, Plateau, Edo and other states.
According to him, the SPL works directly with academies to encourage talent identification and development, while the organisers are also planning incentives for coaches.
Tuodolo said the league had introduced online coaching, officiating and players’ certificate courses to improve participants’ knowledge of squash rules and technical standards.
He identified inadequate funding and challenges associated with the league’s digital platform as some of the major obstacles facing the initiative.
According to him, the organisers are introducing a digital officiating platform, which he described as the first of its kind in Africa, and appealed to philanthropists, sports supporters and corporate organisations to support the league.
Tuodolo listed GerritFleuren Foundation Ventures Ltd., Blue Iris Clinic, DSFP Africa and Kambai Bawa Foundation among official sponsors of the competition.
Meanwhile, Daniel Agbaje, Kevina Amako, Blessing Bassey and Ares Andong emerged champions in various categories.
Agbaje claimed the Men’s Singles knockout title after Nanme Rindaps withdrew through a walkover and also won the Boys Under-19 category after defeating Rindaps 2-0 (9-11, 9-11).
Amako won the Girls’ Under-19 title after defeating Joy Obanuyiwa 3-0 (11-7, 11-4, 11-9), while Bassey defeated Palang Ajot 3-1 (11-9, 8-11, 13-11, 11-7) to win the Girls’ Under-15 Singles title.
Andong defeated Ayomide Adeyanju 3-2 (6-11, 15-17, 11-3, 11-8, 11-8) to claim the Boys’ Under-15 Singles title, while Amako also won the Women’s Singles after defeating Obanuyiwa 3-1 (11-8, 7-11, 11-8, 11-9).
In the Men’s Doubles final, Team Bravo defeated Team Gamma 2-0 (11-6, 11-2) to emerge champions.
Speaking, Coach Bernard Mkpe of Beromich Squash Sports Academy said the second edition was an improvement on the previous competition and called for greater media coverage and sponsorship.
He commended the Nigeria Squash Federation ( NSF) for its coaching and officiating programmes, saying Nigeria currently has four certified World Squash Federation (WSF) coaches.
Longdi Dasbak, founder of Dasby Squash Academy and former Nigerian international squash player, said there was noticeable improvement in the quality and number of players.
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She called for more sponsorship, competitions, equipment and squash courts to improve access to the sport.
Meanwhile, squash player Edna Fube, said she won a silver medal in the Girls’ Under-15 category and reached the quarter-finals of the Under-19 event.
“My performance in this event wasn’t that encouraging, but I feel like I could do better. I am going to train hard.
“I want to tell other squash players that they should keep training. If you want to be among the best in squash, you have to keep training, and you must have self-endurance,” she said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
