The Executive Chairman of the Edo State Sports Commission, Hon. Amadin Desmond Enabulele, has commended the Bendel Insurance FC Feeders team for their outstanding performance at the Chief of Defence Staff South-South Under-15 Football Championship held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Receiving the team after they presented their trophy, Enabulele described their outing as clear evidence of Edo State’s growing strength in grassroots football development.
In a statement by his Media Officer, Edoko Wilson Edoko, the Sports Commission boss expressed satisfaction with the team’s performance, noting that the championship featured both military and civilian teams across the South-South zone. While the military side exited early, the civilian category represented by Bendel Insurance Feeders recorded an impressive run, finishing as first runners-up.
“We are extremely happy with this great feat by our darling team. Finishing second in a competition of this standard speaks volumes about the discipline, quality and enormous potential of our young players,” Enabulele said.
The Feeders opened their campaign in Group D on Monday, December 15, with a narrow 2–1 loss to Akwa Ibom State, with Edosa Divine scoring Edo’s lone goal. They bounced back on December 17 with a convincing 2–0 win over Bayelsa State, courtesy of Miracle Oshodin and Josiah Stanley.
In the quarterfinals, the Edo boys edged host Rivers State 1–0, with Josiah Stanley grabbing a dramatic 90th-minute winner. The semifinals saw them defeat the Akwa Ibom Military team 1–0, again through Stanley, who later emerged as the tournament’s top scorer and Best Player with four goals.
The final, played on December 21, 2025, at Sharks Stadium, ended in a hard-fought 2–1 loss to Imo State, with Josiah Stanley scoring Edo’s only goal as the team finished second overall.
Enabulele congratulated the entire squad and singled out outstanding performers, including Josiah Stanley (Top Goal Scorer), David Igbinovia (Best Goalkeeper), and Miracle Oshodi (Best Player of the Tournament), praising their exceptional contributions.
“These individual awards are well deserved and a testament to hard work, dedication and talent. These young players are true ambassadors of Edo State,” he added.
The Sports Commission Chairman also commended the management and technical crew of Bendel Insurance Feeders for their professionalism, noting that their guidance played a key role in the team’s success.
Reaffirming the state’s commitment to youth development, Enabulele emphasized the strategic importance of the feeders team in Edo’s football structure.
“We fully acknowledge the importance of the feeders team in our football development framework, and we will continue to support them to ensure a steady flow of talent into our state teams,” he said.
The Edo team received ₦3 million cash prize for finishing runners-up, while the team and a souvenir from the tournament will be presented to the Executive Governor of Edo State, Senator Monday Okpebholo on a later date.
Highlighting the governor’s vision, Enabulele said the administration remains committed to identifying and nurturing grassroots talents through structured pathways at the U-12, U-15 and U-17 levels.
“Our focus is on catching talents early and developing them systematically. We are driving an inward recruitment policy of 80 percent homegrown players and 20 percent external recruitment to sustainably strengthen Edo football,” he concluded
