Still basking in the euphoria from the exploits of the Nigeria female under-19 team at the ICC Under-19 female T20 World Cup in Malaysia, the country is set to host the 6th edition of the National Under-17 Cricket Championship for boys and girls with qualification series across the six geopolitical zones in the country.
Over the years, the competition has grown to become the biggest age-grade tournament in Nigeria and West Africa, providing the right pathway for the next generation of superstars to wear the prestigious ‘Green and Yellow” kits of Nigeria.
The last five editions have witnessed a significant expansion in the number of participating states. The first edition had 19 states participating in the boys category and 15 states in the girls category, with a small increase in 2021 after the Covid-19 pandemic, where 21 states and 17 states participated in the boys and girls categories, respectively.
As the tournament became more popular, 2022 witnessed a significant increase in participation, where 25 states featured in the boys category and 21 states in the girls category. In 2023 and 2024, the numbers continued to increase with a staggering representation of 33 states participating in the boys category and 29 states in the girls category during the 5th edition in 2024, making a total of 3,290 player participants and 928 coach representatives in this tournament with over 450 officiating jobs carried out in the last 5 editions.
The sixth edition is looking to set a new record of participation with Yobe, Adamawa, and Bauchi from the Northeast all making their appearance for the first time, while in the North Central, Benue State is finally breaking their barren years of involvement in cricket by featuring a boys team in the North Central zonal qualifier.
The North Central qualifier will take place in the FCT, Abuja, while the North West and North East will take place in Kaduna and Borno State, respectively. The South-South qualifier will take place in Asaba, Delta State; Ebonyi State will host the South East, while Lagos State will host the South West states.
The National final is scheduled to take place in Abuja from 18-23 February 2025.
The dates for the zonal qualifications are scheduled as follows:
North Central: 8-12 February
North East: 8-12 February
North West: 8-12 February
South-South: 6 – 10 February
South East: 7 – 11 February
South West: 6 – 10 February
***All dates include Arrival and Departure***
