Rugby enthusiasts are celebrating the sport’s return to the Edo State Sports Festival, scheduled to take place from April 22 to 30, 2025, in Benin City, the state capital.
The Head Coach of the Edo State Rugby Association, Obong Ntiense Williams (MR RUGBY), confirmed this in a press release, highlighting the significance of Rugby’s inclusion in the festival.
“Twenty-nine sports met the final selection by the organising committee of the 4th edition of the Edo State Sports Festival,” he stated, listing Rugby alongside other disciplines such as athletics, basketball, boxing, gymnastics, taekwondo, and football.
Williams described Rugby’s reinstatement as “a huge welcome development for the growth of sports in the country, as it will further encourage the sport in the state and, by extension, across Nigeria.”
According to him, Rugby was initially excluded because it was not featured in the upcoming Biannual National Sports Festival, set for May 2025 in Ogun State. However, this decision was later reversed in recognition of the sport’s strong presence in Edo, which he described as “the home of Rugby in Nigeria, with the only dedicated Rugby pitch in the country presently.”
He further recalled that Rugby was last played as a scoring event at the 2020 National Sports Festival in Edo State, marking its return after a 10-year absence since the Kada Games in 2009, held in Kaduna State.
Highlighting Edo State’s dominance in the sport, Williams said, “Edo State boasts the best female Rugby players in the country and are presently the back-to-back defending Women Rugby Champions in both the Senior and Junior categories. They are also the reigning Male and Female South-South Zonal Champions heading into the National Rugby League Finals in April 2025.”
For players, the return of Rugby to the state festival is a major boost. “The inclusion of Rugby at the 4th edition of the Edo State Sports Festival comes as a great relief to the players, as they will now have a competition to look forward to within the state,” Williams noted.
However, he expressed hope that Rugby might still make a last-minute return to the National Sports Festival and the upcoming 1st Niger Delta Sports Festival, set to take place in Akwa Ibom State from April 1 to 9, 2025.
Williams emphasised the role of sports festivals in fostering growth, saying, “Participation in sports festivals provides encouragement and developmental benefits that enhance the growth of sports in Edo State and Nigeria as a whole.” He urged the National Sports Commission to support Rugby’s inclusion in national competitions, stating, “It is therefore imperative for the National Sports Commission to assist by encouraging so-called lesser sports such as Rugby, which Nigerians are well suited for, into the National Sports Festival—especially as an Olympic sport.”
With Rugby now officially part of the Edo State Sports Festival, players and fans alike are gearing up for what promises to be an exciting return of the sport to the Edo sporting scene.
