GTBank – Masters Cup Season 7 Draws holds Thursday 23rd November 2017

Lagos Nigeria – November, 2017.

Foremost African Financial Institution, Guaranty Trust Bank plc will hold the draws ceremony to flag off the 2018 edition of the GTBank Masters Cup football competition on Thursday 23rd November 2017 in the Conference Room, St. Finbarr’s College, Akoka, Lagos.

The GTBank Masters Cup is an annual football tournament played by first generation colleges and other private secondary schools in Lagos. Now among the largest and most widely followed grassroots soccer competitions in the country, the tournament is aimed at actively engaging the youth through sports whilst promoting the values of excellence and fair play. Launched in 2012, the competition provides a platform for identifying, nurturing and grooming young and talented players and helping them on the journey towards actualizing their dreams of becoming world class footballers.

The draws is a routine balloting process in each year’s tournament through which the participating schools are placed into groups. The 2017/2018 Season of the prestigious competition will feature a total of 42 teams comprised of 16 female and 26 male teams from 30 secondary schools. The new season will have 13 more teams than the previous campaign. 8 of the teams will be making their first appearances in the competition. The draws will be conducted and monitored by officials of the Lagos State First Generation Colleges Association Technical Committee, Nigerian Football Federation, sports correspondents, amongst other stakeholders.

Since inception, the GTBank Masters Cup tournament has discovered and developed exceptional soccer talents, many of whom are currently on trials and scholarships with football clubs and academies in Nigeria and abroad.

Commenting on the tournament, the Managing Director of Guaranty Trust Bank plc, stated that “The Bank will sustain its drive towards ensuring the GTBank Masters Cup tournament remains a platform for identifying and nurturing young and talented players as they work towards their dream of being world class footballers, whilst fostering and building a healthier lifestyle at a critical stage in their lives.”

Guaranty Trust Bank, a youth oriented brand, maintains the lead in providing support for education and sports to enable young boys and girls explore their talents and reach for their dreams. It is one of the few Nigerian financial institutions that have maintained a defined Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy, most especially in sports education. The Bank actively supports in-classroom and out-of-classroom educational programmes, infrastructure development, students’ scholarship and teachers training across Africa.