The president of Association of Nigeria Women Football Club Coaches (ANWFCC), Hans Kramer has pointed at the smooth playing surface and special jerseys on offer as stand out features in the ongoing 2025 Female All Stars Competition at Legacy Pitch of Lagos National Stadium, Surulere.
The enthusiastic female football buff from Switzerland revealed in an exclusive interview with sports247.ng that the competition has come of age since its debut on 1997, such that it now has 18 competing teams playing on astro turf and they will all be allowed to go home with their jerseys at the end of the contest.
While also pointing out that the flow of play is smoother than ever on the lush surface of Legacy Pitch inside the stadium complex, unlike what was seen on the bumpy hockey ground used in the past, Kramer stressed that the competition’s overall standard is now very high.
Kramer retorted, “We have had some matches of really high quality, and they are highly exciting. I am also happy with the quality of the players. They are much better than what we had when it started in 1997.”
He then took his mind back in time to how the annual talent hunt competition began with only ten teams, but soon unfolded into a huge reference point for female football practitioners from all walks of life.
Kramer continued, “My first tournament with them was in 2000. They played on the hockey pitch with only ten teams. The players had to wash their jerseys themselves after each match and then leave them with their teams.
“Today, we now play all the matches on the astro-turf, and we have 18 teams who all get their jerseys for take away after their last match.
“We have all 18 teams sponsored and, unlike what we had when we first started, you cannot compare the current standard with the past.”
He concluded by reeling out the names of some sponsors, and submitted with a declaration that the biggest joy he would have is hearing prople tell him on the last that the 2025 showcase of all stars and female talents was highly exciting.
“We have Ayisat Yusuf among those who support the teams. We also have two manufacturing companies and others who are mostly private people that support us handsomely.
“My biggest expectation is that, when the final will hold on the 18th of January in the evening, a lot of people would say it was a good tournament. That would make me happy,” Kramer projected.
, Hans Kramer has pointed at the smooth playing surface){kind=link}