One Million Up For Grab As 82 Ultimate Cup Tournament Is Unveiled
NAIROBI, Kenya – Eight teams in Nairobi are set to battle it out for KES 1,000,000 in the inaugural 82 Ultimate Cup tournament following a successful launch of the grand finale on Friday evening.
The three-day football extravaganza will take place from November 30, 2023, to December 02, 2023, at the Police Sacco Stadium and marks a pivotal moment in the region’s grassroots football scene, aiming to promote community engagement and nurture budding talent within the sport.
The finals are a culmination of a grueling contest that has been taking place over the past eight months across eight regions in Nairobi and will aim to determine who has what it takes to lift the trophy and bag the Nairobi bragging rights.
Dandora Youth will represent Dandora while Strathmore University and Mashimoni All Stars do so for Lang’ata and Kibera, respectively. UEFA Despanol will be flying Umoja’s flag with Statehouse FC and Terror Squad representing the Starehe and Kasarani regions. Kibagare Slums and FIFA Best complete the list representing Westlands and Dagoretti respectively.
Brian Wango, one of 82 Sports founders emphasized that the tournament has so far lived up to its expectations.
“The idea of the tournament was conceived with the players in different localities, ‘mitaa’ in mind to try and keep them occupied with a motive to keep them off bad societal vices and I believe we have done that to the best of our ability. We plan to continue doing the same using this tournament not just in this edition but in subsequent ones.”
The launch was graced by former Tottenham midfielder Victor Wanyama alongside McDonald Mariga, the first Kenyan player to feature in the UEFA Champions League, doing so with Inter Milan, among other dignitaries.
Wanyama challenged grassroots coaches to play their role in ensuring that they help develop young talents to higher levels, not just on the pitch but also guiding them off the pitch.
“The grassroots coaches have a task to do to help and guide the players on what they need to do and what they need to avoid. Developing a player is a collective effort and that needs to start at this grassroots level.”
Since its conception and throughout the preliminary stages, the tournament has advocated for environmental conservation through the rallying call “Play for Green Spaces” by growing trees within the environs it has been played.
So far, over 1,600 trees have been planted with a focus on pushing the number further before the end of the tournament.
Event Name: 82 Ultimate Cup
Date: Thursday 30th November – Saturday 2nd December 2023
Venue: Police Sacco Stadium
About 82 Sports
82 Sports is a young, vibrant, and upcoming sports company that focuses on hosting talent search tournaments and later venturing into sports gear and sports facility construction.
They are keen on nurturing sports talent and leaving a positive footprint through our rallying call “Play for Green Spaces” which champions the planting of trees around football fields and the development of artificial football fields for play.
