The Monimak Baseball and Softball Junior Clubs Championship kicked off at the Adewole Baseball Park in Ilorin, Kwara State on Friday, 14th June 2024 marking a significant milestone in the revival of the sport in Nigeria.
According to the Acting President of the Nigeria Baseball and Softball Federation, Monisola Yemisi Makanjuola, the tournament aims to discover new talent and promote the sport nationwide. “We are organising this tournament in order to hunt for talent and to bring Baseball and Softball back to where it is supposed to be, and we are starting from Kwara State,” Makanjuola said.
The federation’s goal is to make baseball and softball as popular as football in Nigeria. “We want to make it as popular as football in Nigeria, we want it to be our second football,” Makanjuola emphasized.
The championship has garnered support from sponsors, individuals, clubs, and academies, demonstrating the shared vision to promote sports in the state. “We have some sponsors here, you can see their banners, individuals are helping us as well, the clubs and some Academies, people are supporting us to make it work, people with the same vision to promote sports in the state,” Makanjuola acknowledged.
The federation has made significant progress in the last two years, hosting the West African program in Abuja and upcoming West African qualifiers in August. “Last year, we were able to host the West African programme which was held in Abuja, and by August, we will be hosting the West African qualifiers, Baseball Five. With this, I know things are changing, we are moving on,” Makanjuola said.
The tournament has brought together clubs from across Kwara State, showcasing their skills and competing to represent the state. “Everybody is in support, and they are happy, it is just for somebody to kick-start, and by the grace of God, we’ve started, and you can see that everybody is all out, the coaches and stakeholders are here with their players to make this colourful,” Makanjuola explained.
