Aketi Bowl
The national finals of the Nigeria Secondary School Flag Football League — named in honour of NAFA's late founding chairman, Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu, SAN, CON. The best boys' and girls' school teams in the country play for the title, prize money and university scholarships.
Overview
A national stage for school flag football.
Every NSSFFL season, secondary schools compete in state leagues and preliminaries. The qualifiers meet at the Aketi Bowl for the national titles. The league has grown from about 900 students in 2022 to about 6,000 across 11 states in the 2025 season.
The finals are about more than the game: certified officiating crews, athlete-welfare protocols, teachers trained as coaches, and a Gridiron Gems seminar for girls on leadership, mentorship and hygiene, with a parallel session for boys.
What it does
Edition history
31 Jul – 5 Aug 2023
Akure, Ondo State
Aketi Bowl I
Akure Township Stadium. 75 schools from seven states and more than 2,000 student-athletes aged 12–18.
Season to 16 Jan 2025
Calabar, Cross River
Aketi Bowl II
U.J. Esuene Stadium. 168 schools from 14 states took part in the season. Lagos swept both titles: Ikeja Grammar School beat Akwa Ibom 22–12 (boys) and Army Cantonment Girls Secondary School won 14–12 (girls). Prof. Chris Imumolen awarded ₦40m in scholarships to the champions.
From 19 Nov 2025
Abuja, FCT
Aketi Bowl III
About 6,000 students from 11 states in the season; seven qualified for the finals — Oyo, Ondo, Kwara, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Rivers and FCT — each with a boys' and a girls' team. C.S.C.S. Ibiaku Itam, Uyo, won both titles. Prizes of ₦1m, ₦750k and ₦350k.
11 Mar 2026
Lagos
Scholarships delivered
Unique Open University, backed by the Imumolen Foundation, presented about ₦50m in scholarships to Aketi Bowl II athletes, with the Lagos State Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education.
Partners
Runs the secondary school league with NAFA; the partnership was extended from three to five years in 2025.
Cleveland Browns support for the national finals through the NAFA partnership.
With the Imumolen Foundation, university scholarships for Aketi Bowl champions.
Media
Photos
Latest news
From the field
Get your school into the NSSFFL.
