Oyo State Government has thrown its weight behind the maiden edition of Pool Champions League, just as the winner of the tournament will be going home with a one million naira cash prize.

While speaking as special guest at a press conference held at the Ibadan Recreation Club, Sabo Area, Ibadan on Tuesday, The Chairman, Oyo State Agency for Youth Development, Prince Adebowale Falana declared the state government’s support for the inaugural Pool Champions League scheduled to commence on October 30.

Prince Adebowale said, “There is need to engage our youths in sports, especially in other sports aside football.

“The focus should not only based on football, as the agency we are doing a lot in helping out youths to discover their talents, we’ve been supporting them with skills acquisition programmes, digital technology innovations, in entertainment and creative industry and we are still ready to do more.

“Our doors are open to various stakeholders for partnership on programs that will open our youths to new ideas and an ideal ways of earning money.” Falana said

He urged the youths in the country to come out in great numbers to showcase their talents at the Pool Champions League tournament.

He therefore pledged the agency’s moral and financial support to make the league a memorable one.

The Convener of the maiden Oyo State Pool Champions League, Mr Oluwatosin Odita in his remarks, said the grand prize of one million Naira will be at stake for competitors.

Noting that the five-day tournament would feature players from many parts of the country jostling for the grand prize, stressing that the tournament will hold from Oct. 30 to Nov. 3 and feature 32 players.

Oluwatosin promised that the five day sporting activities will be an hitch-free tournament.

He said “The best 16 players would move from the opening round to the quarter-finals, before advancing to the semi-finals and final.

“There are games each day of the week, from the preliminaries, quarter-finals and semi-finals, while all matches of the tournament will hold at the Black Nile Lounge in Bodija every day.

“Then, the final will be at the Billionaires Section of Ibadan Recreation club,” he said.

Odita said the real essence of the tournament was to have a community of players first and also identify them as pool players.

He said the new talents would be merged with players from Lagos and then the sport’s umbrella body would partner with international bodies to export the players.

“The tournament will create an academy for the younger ones and catch them young to master the technicality of the game.

“Plans are ongoing to enroll the players on a coaching course in the UK governing body for pool annually.

“The certificate can enable the players become coaches anywhere in the world in the future, thereby giving back to the people by training them,” Odita said.

“The tournament’s overall winner will get N1 million and a trophy while the first runners-up will receive N500,000 and the second runners-up N300,000. This will go with the presentation of certificates and consolation prizes to all the participants of the tournament” Oluwatosin said.

Chairman of Ibadan Recreation Club’s Billiards and Snooker Section, Mr Mbim Okutiyang, said the section was giving Nigerians the opportunity to play with standard tables recognised globally in snooker and pool.

Mbim noted that the tournament would serve as an opportunity for people to know what IRC is all about and what it offers.