Four centres have been penciled down to host the zonal preliminaries of the on-going 2017 All Nigeria Secondary School Football Championship, tagged NNPC/Shell Cup.
The zones earmarked for the preliminary football action are Katsina, Bauchi, Uyo and Ijebu Ode.
The state champions are expected to arrive at their respective zones on Tuesday to commence the football hostilities that will determine quarter finalists of the annual championship.
Each centre is expected to host two groups of matches on two pitches as matches will be played simultaneously in the venues.
The harmonised fixtures are adopted to make up for the delay in the commencement of the zonal matches.
Uyo centre will receive champions from Rivers, Ebonyi, Anambra, Bayelsa, Imo, Benue, Enugu, Cross River, Abia and Ogun states while Ijebu Ode will accommodate actors coming from Lagos, Oyo, Ondo, Kwara, Kogi, Osun, Ekiti, Edo, Akwa Ibom and Delta states.
In Katsina the zonal preliminaries will involve Jigawa, Kano, Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara, Nasarawa, Kaduna, FCT and Bauchi.
Bauchi will host the gladiators from Yobe, Gombe, Adamawa, Borno, Niger, Taraba, Plateau and Katsina.
The best two teams from each of the groups will book their passage to the quarterfinal stage.
Excel Education Centre, Port Harcourt are the title holders of the annual football championship.
Packaged by Lanre Olabisi
