Fifteen months after the COVID-19 pandemic put a pause to one of Nigeria’s illustrious grassroots football competitions, the GTBank Masters Cup returned on Thursday, June 17 to decide the winners of the 9th season. The final and third-place matches for the male and female category were played on June 17 and 18 at the Campos Stadium, Lagos Island.
In the male category, the GTBank Masters Cup final lived up to its billing as Eko Boys showed grit to edge out Anwar Ul Islam in a match that ended 2-0. The victory was a testimony to resilience as Eko Boys had tried for many years to win the coveted trophy. In the third-place game, Kings College were winners in a 3-0 walkover in the absence of Greensprings College, Lekki.
In the female category, the highlight of the day was the third-place match that ended in a 5-1 victory for Queens College, Yaba over Ansar Ur Deen College, Itire. In the finals, Greensprings College, Lekki, lost 3-0 to the defending champions, Lead Forte Garden College.
Commenting on the resumption of the GTBank Masters Cup, the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, SegunAgbaje, said; “Sports has an immense capacity to shape young minds, and after the unprecedented disruptions of the previous year, we are delighted that young people can get back on the pitch to imbibe the values of excellence, teamwork and fairplay. At GTBank, we will continue to champion programmes that bring the values of sports to school compounds and give young people the platform to hone their talents and build character whilst staying focused on their academics.”

Founded in 2012, The GTBank Masters Cup is an annual football tournament for secondary schools. The tournament is renowned for discovering the best young football talent in the country, with many past and present players now on trials and scholarships with football clubs and academies in Nigeria and abroad.