The Nigeria Beach Soccer League finals delivered a vivid portrait of dominance and revival in Kaduna, where Kebbi Beach Soccer Club underlined their grip on the domestic game by lifting a third title in the three-year-old competition. Across three packed days at Murtala Muhammed Square, the champions found the right blend of grit and efficiency to top the standings. Their triumph arrived as Nigerian beach soccer welcomed broader momentum, with the national team’s return to international action receiving fresh backing from the football authorities.
The Super 4 National Finals, staged in Northern Nigeria’s administrative capital, ended on Saturday with Kebbi BSC crowned winners. Even a 2-3 loss on penalties to Kada Stars could not dislodge them, since their points tally held firm when it mattered most. It was a reminder that in a finals format, resilience over multiple games can outweigh one painful setback.
How Kebbi kept their grip on the crown
Kebbi BSC’s six points in the finals set the tone, steady rather than flashy, and ultimately decisive. Their haul lifted them above a spirited Anambra Warriors side that settled for second place. Kebbi United followed in third, while Kada Stars finished fourth despite a headline result against the eventual champions.
There was tangible reward for the season’s body of work, since the purse matched the stakes. Kebbi BSC pocketed N600,000 for first place, Anambra Warriors earned N400,000, and Kebbi United took home N300,000. Kada Stars closed the podium places with N200,000, a nod to their competitiveness and sportsmanship.
Stars who shaped the finals
Championships are remembered for both the collective and the individual, and this finals weekend delivered on the latter too. Kebbi BSC’s Hassan Abdullahi was named the tournament’s MVP, a fitting emblem for a side that found composure at key moments. The accolade reflected his influence, on and off the ball, in a team packed with poise.
There was a golden touch at the other end of the spectrum as well, with Kebbi United’s Sadiq Umar finishing as the highest goalscorer on 17 goals. The club also celebrated the emergence of Umar Aliyu as the Rising Star of the competition, a marker of sustainable growth for a team that balanced ambition with development. Anambra Warriors had their own headline moment through Festus Bashorun, who was voted the best goalkeeper and stood tall for a side that pushed the pace across the finals.
Recognition for character mattered too, and Kada Stars were applauded with the Fair Play trophy. That prize is often overlooked in the heat of battle, yet it speaks to the league’s wider ambition to embed respect and entertainment in equal measure. In Kaduna, that ethos found a clear champion.
Kaduna turns up for beach soccer
The stands at Murtala Muhammed Square were more than a backdrop, they were a statement of intent for a sport reclaiming its national platform. Eminent voices in the beach soccer community filed in, underlining the event’s significance. The Commissioner for Youth and Sports in Kaduna State, Professor Benjamin Kumai Gugong, led a distinguished group of administrators and stakeholders.
NFF leadership was present in strength. Chairman of the NFF Futsal and Beach Soccer Committee, Hon. Nse Essien, attended alongside Vice Chairman Alhaji Yusuf Ahmed Fresh and the Chairman of the NFF Technical and Development Committee, Alhaji Sharif Rabiu Inuwa. Engineer Musa Nimrod, President of the Nigeria Volleyball Federation and Chairman of the Kaduna Beach Soccer Association, also joined, together with the Chairman of the Kaduna State Football Association, Mallam Faisal Abdullahi, Dr. Umar Mohammed, Mr. Abubakar Barde who serves as Committee Secretary, and a couple of NFF directors.
The organizing backbone drew warm praise as well, most notably the team led by Mahmoud Hadejia, President of the African Beach Soccer Association. Their work has helped move the sport back onto the front burner after a difficult spell, especially following the national team’s withdrawal after the 2019 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup finals in Paraguay. In Kaduna, that slow rebuild felt tangible and timely.
A rivalry with family ties
Rivalries add color to any championship, and the Nigeria Beach Soccer League has a vivid one. Ahead of the upcoming Super Finals in Abuja, Kada Beach Soccer Club captain Victor Tale struck a defiant tone about ending Kebbi’s reign. He backed his team’s preparation and pointed to belief as the edge that could tilt the scales in their favor.
We have entered camp since last week and everybody is fully ready. We will not lose this opportunity again to Kebbi Fishers BSC.
Tale acknowledged the quality in Kebbi’s ranks but maintained that Kada BSC would not be cowed. He noted that Kebbi Fishers boast several national team players, while Kada’s roster features fewer, yet he insisted the gap can be closed with focused work. The captain’s remarks captured the psychology of a challenger, respectful but intent on disruption.
They are our rivals, and everyone has buckled up to ensure that this season’s title belongs to Kada BSC.
There is a family subplot that both softens and sharpens the rivalry. Victor’s younger brother, Godwin Tale, is the goalkeeper for Kebbi Fishers, which gives each meeting an extra layer of competitive tension. On the sand they are opponents, outside the arena they are bound by family pride.
Tale also tipped his cap to the people steering the league. He praised the consistency of the Nigeria Beach Soccer League leadership and their role in reviving the national team structure. The captain highlighted how players who featured for Nigeria in the last AFCON qualifiers against Mauritania were drawn from this league, a detail that underlines the pathway now open to domestic performers.
What this win means for Nigeria
The return of the Supersand Eagles to international competition has framed the league’s resurgence with a broader sense of purpose. The Nigeria Football Federation has endorsed that comeback, sending a clear message about rebuilding standards and ambition. For Kebbi BSC, this title sits within that context, a product of domestic excellence that can feed into international benchmarks.
Attention across the beach soccer community has already turned toward continental duty. The Supersand Eagles are set for the 2024 Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Mauritania, with the first leg scheduled for July 20 in Nouakchott and the return leg in Nigeria a week later. Those dates carry weight, since they offer a proving ground for talents who have shone in the Nigeria Beach Soccer League.
Behind the scenes, the Kaduna finals were a demonstration of a capable organizing team that can deliver on vision. With Mahmoud Hadejia and his colleagues drawing applause, the sport’s stakeholders appear aligned on both execution and growth. That alignment is vital for sustained progress, from grassroots to elite competition.
The competitive balance across the top four
While Kebbi BSC’s trophy haul grabbed headlines, the competitive spine of the finals ran through every side. Anambra Warriors finished second, a performance buoyed by assured goalkeeping from Festus Bashorun and a collective structure that kept them in the chase until the final whistle. For a club that seeks incremental gains, this was a foundation to build upon.
Kebbi United’s third-place finish spoke to two narratives, experience at the sharp end and excitement about the next generation. The emergence of Rising Star winner Umar Aliyu stood next to the ruthless finishing of top scorer Sadiq Umar, a duo that signaled both present threat and future promise. Together, they kept their team in the conversation every step of the way.
Kada Stars may have ended fourth, yet their shootout win against the champions offered a clear reminder of their ceiling. The Fair Play award complemented that competitive spark, positioning them as both spirited and disciplined. In a league where fine margins separate first and fourth, that identity can be a powerful lever.
Reading the numbers and the nuance
In finals football, points, prizes, and plaques tell only part of the story. Kebbi BSC’s six points summed up a campaign built on consistent decision making under pressure, and the MVP nod for Hassan Abdullahi reinforced how one leader can steady a team when the tide turns. The shootout loss to Kada Stars revealed an important truth, champions can absorb a punch and still keep their focus.
For Anambra Warriors and Kebbi United, the individual awards did more than decorate the weekend. They validated strategic choices in recruitment and development, a return on investment that supporter bases can see and hold onto. When a goalkeeper commands his box or a striker reaches 17 goals, the identity of a team becomes visible to the neutral eye.
Kada Stars’ dual identity as spoilers and standard bearers for fair play gave the finals another texture. Competitive edge need not undermine respect, and in Kaduna both drivers moved in the same direction. That balance is a useful message for young players rising through club structures.
Voices that shape the pathway
Leadership presence at the finals mattered for more than ceremonial reasons. When figures such as Hon. Nse Essien, Alhaji Yusuf Ahmed Fresh, and Alhaji Sharif Rabiu Inuwa show up, they validate the work being done at club level and take notes on what the sport needs next. With Professor Benjamin Kumai Gugong and Engineer Musa Nimrod in the mix, state and federation perspectives overlapped in productive ways.
The support extended to the organizing team was not perfunctory. It recognized a deliberate project to restore the Supersand Eagles to a competitive footing and to energize the domestic calendar. That project gathered momentum in Kaduna, where the finals felt less like an endpoint and more like a launchpad.
The road ahead
For Kebbi BSC, a third league title raises the bar and the expectations. Their consistency has become a standard against which rivals will measure themselves, and that dynamic should sharpen every training session across the league. The champions will know that staying at the summit demands fresh solutions, not only celebrations.
For the chasing pack, the blueprint is clear. Anambra Warriors have a solid spine, Kebbi United can lean on goals and youth, and Kada Stars have shown they can beat anyone on their day. The margins in Kaduna suggest that a slight uptick in execution could flip the narrative the next time a trophy is on the line.
And for the wider sport, the message from Kaduna resonates with optimism. With the NFF backing the national team’s return and with the Nigeria Beach Soccer League providing a reliable platform, the pipeline to international relevance is open again. The sand is shifting in the right direction, and for the fans who filled Murtala Muhammed Square, that felt like the biggest win of the weekend.
What Victor Tale’s words reveal
There is a reason captains speak with conviction, since their teams draw energy from the resolve in their voices. Victor Tale’s message ahead of the Abuja Super Finals was simple, preparation and belief can topple a dynasty. Even as Kebbi BSC paraded another crown in Kaduna, the challenger’s drumbeat continued to echo across the league.
They are our rivals, and everyone has buckled up to ensure that this season’s title belongs to Kada BSC.
In that sentence you hear the tug between respect and ambition, which is the lifeblood of competition. It also captures why the Nigeria Beach Soccer League has become an incubator for the Supersand Eagles, giving players a visible route to the crest. For a nation eager to reclaim continental standing, that alignment between club battles and national aspirations could be decisive.
From Kaduna’s celebration to Abuja’s anticipation, the storyline remains compelling. Kebbi BSC have the medals, the rivals have the motivation, and the fans have a league that is gathering speed. If the finals taught us anything, it is that beach soccer in Nigeria has rediscovered its rhythm, and that rhythm now beats loudly enough to be heard well beyond the shoreline.
