The Chairman, Mr. Hakeem Akintunde, made the plea when the executive members of the association visited the Speaker of the House, Mr. Olakunle Oluomo.

Akintunde said that when the football competition was approved, it would be “another success story of the 9th Assembly”.

He commended the Assembly for passing the Sports Commission and Sports Trust Bill into law, saying the sports commission would help galvanize the sports sector in the state.

He added that the state would reclaim its lost glory and compete favorably among states if the bills were assented to by the governor.

Akintunde said: “Mr. Speaker sir, let me on behalf of sports journalists in Ogun, commend this House for passing the Sports Commission and Sports Trust Bills into law.

“The Bills if assented to by the Governor will reposition the sports sector of the state and return its lost glory and also enable the state to compete with others like Rivers, Edo, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Cross Rivers and Lagos where they have sports commissions.

“As critical stakeholders, we believe we should also be part of the development of the sport in the state and that is why we have decided to organize this football competition among the 20 local government areas of the state.

“This competition is designed in a knockout way and it will be an annual event. It will not end with your leadership; it will be a continuum. And it will be another achievement of the 9th Assembly because this is first of its kind in the country.

“We believe that with the approval of the House of Assembly, we will be able to discover new football talents for our darling Gateway United Football Club and the national teams from age groups to the senior national teams.”

Responding, Oluomo assured the sportswriters of the Assembly’s support to organize a successful football competition.

Oluomo, who relished his childhood days football activities in secondary school, noted that the competition would be another platform to discover talents at the grassroots.