The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), yesterday, in Lagos, announced a total prize money of N17m, with the star prize of N7m going to the team which wins the 2016 Team Tennis Championship.

Unveiling details of this year’s event at the Ikoyi Club, with the Minister of Youth & Sports Development, Solomon Dalung, in attendance, the Executive Vice President of the NCC, Prof . Umar Danbatta, said that the commission was happy with the profile, organisation and impact of the event which has achieved all the objectives it was designed to achieve.

“The Tennis League is introducing 45 weeks of tennis to the Nigerian tennis calendar – an improvement from the 32 weeks last year – and is taking top-flight tennis to more cities across the country. The number of teams has also risen from eight to 10 this year,”  Danbatta, who was represented by the commission’s director of special duty, Iyabo Sholanke, said.

Barrister Dalung who took a tour of the Ikoyi Club before the opening ceremony, commended the NCC for sponsoring such a major historic tennis event which has the potential of producing top professional tennis players in the near future adding.

The tourney would see two groups, Blue and White, contest in round-robin format.

The Blue Group comprises Team Tombim (Abuja), Team Offikwu (Kaduna), Team Lead Way (Lagos), Team Anambra (Onitsha) and Team Goshen (Ilorin), while the White Group would see Civil Defence (Kaduna), Team FCT (Abuja), Team Kalotari (Port Harcourt), Team Hope (Asaba/Warri) and Team CBN Futures (Lagos) slug it out.

Each team has eight players who would compete in a number of categories.

GOSHEN TENNIS CLUB

1 Layiwola Ifarinde

2 Wale Babalola

3 Tosho Yusuf

4 Folarin Lawal

5 Yomi Olawoyin

6 Bola Amurawaiye

7 Bunmi Are

8 Racheal Adunoye

LEAD WAY

1 Monday Igbinovia

2 Umaru Balami

3 Joseph Imeh

4 Ekanem Etim

5 Bulus Christopher

6 Ronke Akingbade

7 Deborah Gbadamosi

8 Mohammed Mohammed

TEAM FCT

1 Thomas Otu

2 Emmanuel Sunday

3 Sani Adamu

4 Taiwo Owolabi

5 John Otu

6 Osarenme Airhewunde

7 Rose Onoja

8 Faith Sunday

TOMBIM SPORTS DEVELOPMENT CO.LTD

1 Moses Micheal

2 Atseye Henry

3 Christian Paul

4 Sarah Adegoke

5 Christy Mbadiwe

6 Loveth Donatus

7 Edward Christopher Anefu

TEAM HOPE

1 Ikechukwu Iloputa

2 Emmanuel Paul

3 abdulkareem Badmus

4 Amadasin Abies

5 Spencer Comfort

6. Joseph Iyoroube

Coach: Ikakah Emmanuel

NIGERIA SECURITY AND CIL DEFENCE CORPS

1 Clifford Emsorogbe

2 Nonso  Maduekwe

3 Lawal Shehu

4 Babalola Abdulmimuni

5 Blessing Audu Samuel

6 Bukola Olowu

7 Christie Agugbom

8 Ogunshola Folashade

OFFIKWU TEAM

1 Quadre Oyinlomo

2 Aiyegbusi Aanu

3 Bikom Albert

4 Emmanuel Sunday

5 Emmanuel Sylvester

6 Idoko Emmanuel

7 Quadri Aminat

CBN FUTURES

1 Chris Itodo

2 Micheal Micheal

3 Martins Abamu

4 Angel Mcleod

5 Marylove Edwards

TEAM KALOTARI

1 Sunday Maku

2 Onyeka Mbanu

3 Daniel Odeh

4 Kalada Kienka

5 Bolaji Olawepo

6 Pat Onebanhoin

7 Lolia Kienka

8 Afolarin Akosile

Team Anambra

    Michael Chima

    Chinedu Iwuagwu

    Uche Oparaji

    Ikechukwu Iloputa

    Joseph West

    Tochukwu Ezeh

    Ezine Maduike

    Stella Udokwelu