Crown FA Reign Supreme at Spires 5-Aside Epe Championship
By Victor Ottah

A new champion has been crowned in the Epe division of the Spires 5-Aside Naija Street Soccer Tournament, as Crown FA delivered a commanding performance to emerge winners of the highly competitive championship.

The grand finale, which held on Saturday at the STS Pitch in Bogije, Ibeju-Lekki, lived up to expectations with Crown FA producing a ruthless display to defeat Angso Sports Club 9-3 in an entertaining and goal-filled final.

Crown FA’s triumph earned the team the tournament’s top prize of ₦500,000, while runners-up Angso Sports Club received ₦300,000 for their impressive campaign. Prodigy FC finished third and went home with ₦100,000 after a commendable outing in the competition.

Individual brilliance also took centre stage as Anifowoshe Olamilekan finished as the tournament’s highest goal scorer with 15 goals, earning a cash reward of ₦50,000 for his outstanding performances throughout the championship.

By virtue of their top-three finishes, Crown FA, Angso Sports Club, and Prodigy FC have all secured qualification to represent the Epe division at the Spires 5-Aside State Championship scheduled for October.

Speaking after the final, the initiator of the tournament, Dr. Bankole Allibay, reaffirmed the organisers’ commitment to improving grassroots football and ensuring players’ welfare remains at the heart of the competition.

“When we started this project, we made it clear that our vision was to redefine 5-Aside football in Nigeria, and we are proud of the progress made so far,” Allibay said.

“This remains one of the few grassroots tournaments where participating teams receive financial support right from the qualification stages. Our focus is to continue raising the standard, and Spires 5-Aside will only continue to grow bigger and better.”

Following successful editions in Ikorodu and Epe, the tournament now shifts attention to the Lagos Island division, which is set to kick off on May 23 as the Spires 5-Aside movement continues to expand across Lagos State.