Benue State University, Makurdi

LOBI STARS FOOTBALL CLUB OF MAKURDI AT THIRTYFIVE: HISTORICISING THE PROS AND CONS

UGBEGILI, Sylvester I.^*
AKUUL, Timbee^*
ITYONZUGHUL, Thaddeus T^*
ADZEMBE, Tor Orseer R.^*

Abstract

Football which is also known as soccer is a source of leisure and entertainment. Leisure and entertainment are among the most critical aspects of any society, the world over. However, this area of social history has been grossly neglected by historians. Few attempts made at reconstructing the phenomenon under study are done mostly by scholars of Physical and Health Education, Human Kinetics, and Sports Management, among others. In this connection, this paper investigates the historical foundations of Lobi Stars Football Club of Makurdi between 1981 and 2016. It discusses the funding of the club under consideration. The paper also highlights the impact of Lobi Stars on the economy and society of the people of Benue State and beyond. The study espouses a plethora ofchallenges that hampered Lobi Stars but it concludes with emphasis that, there is a prospect for the development of the club because of the achievements it has recorded. In line with the said challenges that hindered the development of the club, the paper proposes a pathway which it felt, would avert the said challenges. The discussion of this paper is based on historical methodology using primary and secondary sources of data collection.

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