Revolution In Football: Kwara Kiddies League Introduces Nigeria’s First Fully Data-Driven Awards

The Kwara Kiddies League has unveiled a groundbreaking overhaul of its Awards System, announcing that all honours for the 2025 season will be determined strictly through performance data generated on Wyscout.

This marks a historic departure from the traditional voting method and positions the league as a pioneer in grassroots football innovation across Nigeria and Africa.

The Chief Operating Officer of the League, Ibrahim Jatto, confirmed the development in a statement on Tuesday, describing the shift as “a landmark innovation and a major step forward for grassroots football in Nigeria.”

The announcement follows the league’s formal partnership with Wyscout—an Italian-based global scouting platform widely regarded as the world’s largest football video and data library—at the beginning of the season in May. As part of the collaboration, every match in the 2025 campaign has been recorded using AI-powered Hudl cameras provided by Wyscout, enabling comprehensive tracking of technical actions, tactical efficiency, physical performance, and overall game intelligence.

According to Jatto, the move away from the traditional voting system was necessary to ensure fairness, transparency, and the celebration of true excellence.

“Our goal has always been to build a league that mirrors global best practice. Data gives clarity, transparency, and fairness. This is the first time a grassroots league in Nigeria—and possibly Africa—will depend entirely on AI-generated data to determine its season award winners,” he said.

With the new system, all award categories— including Best Goalkeeper, Team of the Season, Midfielder of the Season, Top Striker, and several others—will be decided through automated data rankings generated by the Wyscout platform.

League officials believe that the introduction of a data-driven process will not only motivate young players to improve based on measurable indicators but also increase their visibility to scouts and professional clubs globally.

The 2025 Kwara Kiddies League Award Ceremony is scheduled for Sunday, where the first-ever set of fully data-determined winners will be officially announced to the public.