Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin, has become a battlefront for some of the best handball teams in the country, who are vying for honours in the 2022 National Division One Handball League.
The competition started yesterday with Delta Force, Correctional Boys, Confluence Kings, Bendel Dynamos, Mindscope Academy and Bayelsa Queens challenging for supremacy on the court today.
In the fixtures of the championship, which ends on October 16, Delta Force will battle Correctional Boys, while Confluence Kings are against Bendel Dynamos in the men’s category.
In the women category, Mindscope Academy are up against Bayelsa Queens. Nine teams, five men and four women, will compete for the four promotion slots that will see them playing in the 2023 Prudent Energy Handball Premier League.
Speaking on the competition, president of the Handball Federation of Nigeria (HFN), Samuel Ocheho, gave kudos to the Edo State government for partnering with the federation in improving the development of the game, by agreeing to host and sponsor the league.
“I must give kudos to the Edo State government for deciding to partner with us as a federation to continue in the development of handball by committing to host the National Division One Handball League.
“I must say that in the past years, sports in general have really grown in Edo State because of the government’s deliberate effort in ensuring that the sector is sustainable for development.
“I must say that handball being one of the sports in focus, has grown in leap and bound since the state government committed to hosting and sponsoring the league.”