The 2026 edition of the Bayelsa Governor’s Football Tournament, popularly known as the Prosperity Cup, has taken a new turn with the registration of a football team from a correctional facility in the state.
The team, Liberty FC, drawn from the Nigerian Correctional Service centre in Bayelsa State, will participate in the widely followed grassroots football competition.
The Director General of the tournament, Ono Akpe, disclosed this while speaking with journalists in Abuja.
Akpe explained that the organisers have designated a special playing ground where Liberty FC will play its matches during the competition.
He described the participation of the correctional centre team as a demonstration of inclusiveness, noting that the tournament continues to attract participation from various institutions and communities.
According to him, beyond the attractive prize money attached to the tournament, the Prosperity Cup has played a significant role in reducing crime and other social vices by engaging young people across communities in football activities.
Akpe said the consistent organisation of the competition has helped channel the energy of youths into sports, adding that there is evidence that crime rates often decline during the tournament period as many youths are actively involved in football events across the state.
He further stated that several institutions have already registered teams for the competition, including the Nigeria Police Force and the National Youth Service Corps, as well as faith-based organisations and non-indigenes residing in Bayelsa who have also entered a team for the tournament.
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Reacting to the development, a football enthusiast based in Yenagoa, Stanley Imgbi, described the inclusion of the correctional centre team as a welcome development that would add excitement to the competition.
Imgbi, who also serves as Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Journalists in Bayelsa State, said the participation of non-indigenes and institutional teams would further promote unity and strengthen the spirit of community participation in the tournament.
Meanwhile, organisers have announced that the Prosperity Cup train will move to Ogbia Local Government Area this weekend as the preliminary round matches in Brass Local Government Area and Nembe Local Government Area draw to a close.
The tournament remains one of the largest grassroots football competitions in Nigeria and continues to attract widespread participation from communities, institutions, and football enthusiasts across Bayelsa State.
