By Jacob Ajom

Seven states have qualified for the national finals of the Nigerian Secondary School Flag Football League (NSSFFL) Season 4, marking another milestone in the sport’s rapid expansion across the country.

According to Oluwaseye Obatolu, vice president, Nigerian American Football Association (NAFA) the states include Oyo, Ondo, Kwara, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Rivers and the FCT, Abuja. He said the states will present both male and female teams.

Briefing the media in Abuja on Wednesday, at the opening ceremony of the finals, Oluwaseye Obatolu, vice president NAFA, said the league—once an “audacious idea”—has grown into a national, data-driven development platform leveraging sport to empower young Nigerians.

Obatolu said participation has expanded from a handful of schools to a nationwide competition, with 11 states competing in the preliminaries and seven states qualifying for the 2025 AKITI Bowl III finals.

The finals, according to Obatolu, had been structured in a way to bring out the best in the players and  evident of “a deeper talent pool and rising nationwide enthusiasm.”

According to NAFA, flag football has become one of the fastest-growing school sports in Nigeria due to its affordability, inclusiveness and strong emphasis on teamwork and leadership.

“Our role is simple but serious—create pathways to education, to skills, to global exposure and, for the ambitious, to elite sport,” Obatolu said. 

The vice president highlighted increasing scholarship opportunities, formal officiating and coaching clinics, and a growing pipeline linking Nigerian student-athletes to international platforms.

He also paid tribute to the late Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu, NAFA’s founding chairman, describing the AKETI Bowl as a living testament to his legacy of structure, discipline and youth development.

This year’s finals will feature special empowerment segments for young women under the ‘Gidayan’ GEMS initiative, including seminars on leadership, mentorship, hygiene and personal development. A parallel programme for male athletes will also run during the tournament.