Lagos State is set to deepen its grassroots talent discovery drive with the KOHmmunity Football Cup, a one day festival targeting young people aged 18 to 35 while combining football development with youth mobilisation.

The tournament was unveiled at a ceremony held at the Radisson Blu, Victoria Island, Lagos, on Thursday.

The Director General of the Lagos State Sports Commission, Lekan Fatodu, who also chairs the Sub Committee of the PBAT KOH 2027 Contact and Mobilisation Committee on Sports, said the initiative was designed to identify emerging talents while strengthening community engagement through sports.

He said the initiative aligned with the commission commitment to identifying and nurturing talents at the grassroots while creating opportunities for young people.

Fatodu said the Lagos State Sports Commission drive for development is rooted in the grassroots, and that is why it is consistently focusing on identifying and developing talents.

He said beyond football, another potential ground for the commission is athletics, citing Emmanuel Okolo, who was discovered at the last National Youth Games and has since gone on to represent Nigeria.

He said one of the cardinal objectives of the initiative was to establish a database of people involved in sports across Lagos State. He added that the committee is expected to announce the tournament schedule in the coming days, ahead of the tournament scheduled for November.

The unveiling event attracted several sports personalities, including Lagos State Football Association chairman Gafar Liameed, former Super Eagles player Waidi Akanni, five time Olympian Bose Kaffo and Ikorodu City FC chief executive officer Sanmi Doherty. The event also featured the unveiling of the tournament trophy, which was displayed on stage during the press conference.

Fatodu said the festival will bring communities together through sport and civic engagement, in line with the theme of the unveiling, Bringing Communities Together Through Sport and Civic Engagement. He said the one day festival format was designed to maximise participation and give young people across Lagos a platform to showcase their abilities in a competitive but community focused environment.

The KOHmmunity Football Cup is part of a wider grassroots sports push in Lagos, where several community tournaments are currently running across the five divisional football associations of Epe, Ikorodu, Ikeja, Badagry and Lagos Island. Organisers say such competitions provide valuable platforms for local clubs and emerging talents to gain competitive experience and attract wider recognition.

The tournament is also expected to support youth inclusion, talent discovery and community participation, while using football as a platform to connect young Nigerians with opportunities beyond the pitch. With the schedule to be announced soon, organisers say they hope the Cup will become a regular fixture in the Lagos grassroots football calendar and a pathway for talented players to progress to higher levels.