One of the outstanding players at this year’s Women All Stars Football Competition in Lagos, Florence Agbegbaku has expressed delight with her ability to be part of the thrills and expressed delight with how several young players took part as well.
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While telling sports247.ng her thoughts about the 2025 all-comers competition organised by Association of Nigeria Women Football Club Coaches (ANWFCC) at Legacy Pitch of Lagos National Stadium in Surulere, the Edo-born lass, who featured for ‘England,’ said it was another step forward for her in football.
She began by rating high the standard of this year’s competition and equally expressed delight with her presence in what she considered to be a very special and lucky squad.
Agbegbaku said, “I was lucky to be placed in Team England. We won two of our group matches and drew one. Before we start a match, personally, I will always make up my mind to know that I am going to win. I am going to play my best and give it everything.
“As a team, I encourage my colleagues as well to play with everything they have. We should not just go to the field and play out individual game. We must play as a team in order to get a good result.
“Lucky enough, my team is one special side that, even when we are not complete, we do not lose. We all put in our best individual efforts, and everybody goes all out to win. Even when we played with eight players, we won. When we played with 10 players, the same thing, we won.
“So, I think we have some individual qualities in the team that helped us to progress in this tournament as a whole.”
Agbegbaku, who holds a higher institution degree and has been playing football for 15 years, then spoke about the rough road she had to pass through in order to play football and pointed out that she has gained a lot from actively entering the game.
She added, “Before now, naturally, I was a shy person. I loved being on my own like a lone ranger. But, coming into football showed me that I cannot do it alone and it’s a team game. That has helped me to relate and socialise with my teammates. I also relate with other players; talk to them, interact with them, communicate with one another.
“That has helped me to really come out of my shell. When it’s necessary, I talk. Not that I would become talkative or talk carelessly; but it has made me become a better person, I must confess.”
Agbegbaku also served details of the major challenge that she faced at the onset of her career, as she recalled how her family members stood against her desire to play football actively.
The articulate and very fluent lass stated, “The first challenge I faced was my family. I actually really started playing after the death of my father. Even then, my mum and my sisters did not understand. They were not seeing the sense in me, as a girl child, going to play football. They feared that my shape would change and I would become a tomboy.
“It was only later in the years, when they saw that I was very interested in playing, that they then allowed me … as far as my education would not suffer. That meant I had to study more for me to be allowed to go for training and pursue football. It was just a family view, and I understood their point, to the extent that I agreed with them.”
She then took her mind back to the 2025 Women All Stars contest and gave the organisers high marks for putting together what she tagged as the best ever, in terms of exposing up and coming female football players.
“I am happy that I am part of this year’s All Stars. I wanted to gain the experience again. I told myself that I should not just sit back, let me play, and I enjoyed it.
“From the look of things, this year’s All Stars was different. We saw very young and talented players in almost all the teams, showing their talents, and I’m very happy for them.
“This will also encourage female football as a whole; especially those who are upcoming. I’m optimistic for them and myself,” Agbgbaku submitted.
