The Lagos Principals Cup is a phenomenal football tournament that has produced outstanding players like Stephen Keshi (St Finbarrs College), Sunday Oliseh (Methodist Boys High School), Dosu Joseph (Methodist Boys High School), Henry Nwosu (St Finbarrs College), Tarilla Okorowanta (St Gregory's College), Franklin Howard (St Gregory's College), Anthony Enahoro (St Gregory's College), Richard Owubokiri (St Gregory's College), Jonathan Akpoborire (Igbobi College) and many more.

The competition was almost as popular and captivating as the National League. Matches were broadcast live on Radio Nigeria and whole communities adopted school teams (Bariga for CMS [the "Bariga Bombers"], Obalende for St Gregory's, etc).

There was also, unfortunately, the unbelievable and legendary acts of violence (it's hard to believe that secondary school kids were capable of such insanity), such as the battles between Baptist Academy and Igbobi College (Bapts Acad students blockaded the highway to ensure that the Igbobi team would not make it to the match venue and thus forfeit the game) and St Gregory's College vs Boys Academy (Boys Academy were aggrieved after losing a game to Greg's and decided to ritually attack St Gregory's at the end of every school day).

There was also good clean fun. There were the "old boys", who came to support the teams with their school ties and luxury cars. There were the female schools that came to support their brother schools. The songs, rented danfos, molues, trumpets, etc that all added to the fun.

However, shockingly, I discovered that there's no record online of past winners of the Principals Cup. I have decided, with your assistance, to compile a list of past winners. You can also share your memories of this great competition.

Bergedorf Cup for junior sides

1938 ZAC 4-3 LTC Junior [replay after draw]

1942 ZAC 2nd XI ('Spitfires')

Name changed to Zard Cup. Restricted to secondary schools

1948 Methodist Boys High School (Lagos) 2-0 Baptist Academy

1949 St Gregory's College beat Baptist Academy

1950 St Gregory's College

1951 St Gregory's College beat Baptist Academy

1952 St Gregory's College beat Baptist Academy

1953 King's College

1954 St Gregory's College

1955 Baptist Academy beat St Gregory's College

1956

1957

1958

1959

1960 Ahmadiyya College bt CMS Grammar School

1961 Methodist Boys High School.

1962 St Finbarrs College

1963

1964 Kings College

1965 Ahmadiya College

1966 St Finbarrs College

1967

1968 St Finbarrs College

1969 St Finbarrs College

1970 Zumratul-Islamiya Grammar School

1971 St Finbarrs College

1972 St Finbarrs College

1973 St Finbarrs College

1974

1975 CMS Grammar School

1976 CMS Grammar School defeats St Finbarrs

1977 St Finbarrs College

1978 St Gregory's College

1979 St Gregory's College

1980 CMS Grammar School

1981 St Gregory's College

1982 St Gregory's College

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987 St Finbarrs beat St Gregory's College

SUSPENDED DUE TO VIOLENCE

Malta Guinness Lagos Principals Cup

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

SUSPENDED

(No sponsor)
2008

2009 Newland Secondary School.


GTBank Lagos Principals Cup*

2010 Oriwu Senior Model College

2011 Egan Senior Secondary School

2012 Dairy Farm Senior Secondary School

2013

*The competition has been split into two - the Principals Cup for regular schools (newer and Lagos State Government owned schools) and the Heritage Cup for the older schools (the super schools/private schools ) like St Finbarrs College, St Gregory's College, Kings College, Methodist Boys High School, Baptist Academy, Ansar-Ud-Deen, Anwar-Ul-Islam and Igbobi College. A female competition has also been created.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7zpwZd5Xcg

Mainland high school defeated ilamoye grammar school during the 1997 edition (junior category) . I played that game at onikan stadium and it ended 4-1 in favour of mainland high school Ojo. The rain started during the half time and made one post water logged and the other dry. So the shots were blocked by the rain while the other team got bombarded 4-1. Great game

Continued.

Boys
Girls.


GTBank Masters Cup

2013
Anwar-Ul-Islam 3 – 1 Kings College
Ansar-Ud-Deen 3 – 0 Methodist Girls High School


2014
Eko Boys Boys High School 3 – 0 St Gregory’s College
Queens College 4 –3 Ansar-Ud-Deen Girls High School (on penalties)


2015
St Gregory’s College 3 – 1 St Finbarr’s College
Queens College 3 – 1 Ansar-Ud-Deen


2016
Greensprings School 3-1 St Gregory’s College
Queens College 4-0 Federal Science & Technical College


2017
St Finbarr’s College 2-1 Anwar-Ul-Islam College
Queens College 2-0 Ansar-Ud-Deen Girls High School

---

GTBank Lagos State Principals Cup


2013
Keke Senior High School 5-1 Oriwu Senior Model College
Ikotun Senior High School 4-2 CMS Grammar School (on penalties)


2014
Dairy Farm High School 2-0 Oriwu Senior High School
Government Senior College Agege 2-1 Ikotun High School


2015
Birrel Avenue Senior High School 5-3 Keke High School (on penalties)
Ikotun Senior Secondary School 3-1 Oriwu Senior Model College


2016
Dairy Farm Senior Secondary School 5-1 Ejigbo Senior Secondary School
Ikotun Senior Secondary School 2-1 CMS Grammar School


2017
Ijaiye Housing Estate Senior Grammar School 2-0 Ikotun Senior High School
Isale-Eko Grammar School 2-0 Ikotun Senior High School

Here's a video from the 2016 GTBank Masters Cup semi-final penalty shootout. The Methodist Girls High School Coach is going crazy. He's on his knees screaming, "Yetunde you can do it! Yetunde save this one! Yetunde you can save it! Yetunde please save it! Yetunde you can do it!"

https://twitter.com/MazinoAppeal/status/733935087746703364

The final of the 2015 edition of the GTBank Masters Cup feature El Catholico (St Finbarr's College vs St Gregory's College). These are the two most successful teams in the history of the Principals Cup/Masters Cup.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIdaucXDsmc


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6qipDH5MAk


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hclSiyc1Dlo

DaDoctor:
Mainland high school defeated ilamoye grammar school during the 1997 edition (junior category) . I played that game at onikan stadium and it ended 4-1 in favour of mainland high school Ojo. The rain started during the half time and made one post water logged and the other dry. So the shots were blocked by the rain while the other team got bombarded 4-1. Great game

Ilamoye Grammar School from Ilasa right?
Which side did you play for?

naptu2:
The Lagos Principals Cup is a phenomenal football tournament that has produced outstanding players like Stephen Keshi (St Finbarrs College), Sunday Oliseh (Methodist Boys High School), Dosu Joseph (Methodist Boys High School), Henry Nwosu (St Finbarrs College), Tarilla Okorowanta (St Gregory's College), Franklin Howard (St Gregory's College), Anthony Enahoro (St Gregory's College), Richard Owubokiri (St Gregory's College), Jonathan Akpoborire (Igbobi College) and many more.

The competition was almost as popular and captivating as the National League. Matches were broadcast live on Radio Nigeria and whole communities adopted school teams (Bariga for CMS [the "Bariga Bombers"], Obalende for St Gregory's, etc).

There was also, unfortunately, the unbelievable and legendary acts of violence (it's hard to believe that secondary school kids were capable of such insanity), such as the battles between Baptist Academy and Igbobi College (Bapts Acad students blockaded the highway to ensure that the Igbobi team would not make it to the match venue and thus forfeit the game) and St Gregory's College vs Boys Academy (Boys Academy were aggrieved after losing a game to Greg's and decided to ritually attack St Gregory's at the end of every school day).

There was also good clean fun. There were the "old boys", who came to support the teams with their school ties and luxury cars. There were the female schools that came to support their brother schools. The songs, rented danfos, molues, trumpets, etc that all added to the fun.

However, shockingly, I discovered that there's no record online of past winners of the Principals Cup. I have decided, with your assistance, to compile a list of past winners. You can also share your memories of this great competition.

I found this and its such an interesting and historical story and believe it really deserves more contribution. I was in Gregs between 1971 and 75 part of our dry season in the tournament. It was quite strange because we had an awesome team. We played teams like stationary stores, julius berger and Nigerian police during this period and we never lost a game. I put it down to the fact that we although had a star studded side, many of our players were helicoptered in at form IV and V and the competition in its later stages demanded heart and it rewarded teams with that special something for the badge. It was a failed experiment because when we resumed to using Boys who had started in form 1 a year to my leaving our performance improved and we won soon afterwards.
It was a great competition and I cant forget our school song" For there is a grand old team to play for, for there's a grand all team to know, when you read our history it is enough to make your hearts go glad, glad, glad glad, We don't care whether we win, lose or draw or worry how we fare, but we only know that there is going to be a game and St Gregory's College will be there, will be there. G.R.E.G.O.R.Y.S, Gregory's!!!

Lost somewhere is the fierce Street football in ikoyi in the 60's and 70's and the up and down battles between Falomo Close, Glover, Cooper, German Flats, Bedwell, Adeyemi Lawson and in the mid 70's the ascendancy of my own Mekunwen.These games took place in the long summer holidays. Only Glover had a pitch - sandy strip along Kingsway before the road was enlarged. The rest were private homes and Corona school Mekunwen. Interestingly long roads like Bourdillon, Queens Drive and Alexander had quite weak teams. Curious.

Great times!

qualifying for principal cup back then in ajegunle lagos state always ended in violence.
all the rugged schools in ajeromi ifelodun always use each match day to show thier rugedity..
I remember when my school was playing a pubilc school n was winning, not until our coach told us at half time to allow the other guys win because they threatened to attack our school bus on our way home..
na so we allow them win us 5-1 and even the refree knew what was going on n was jus shaking his head with pity..
our principal heard d news n warned us never to accept the invite again..

My own "Alma mater" - St. Finbarr's College (Akoka, Yaba) prior to been established in 1954, had no history of the tournament.

However, like Chelsea (during the Roman Era), it went on to dominate the tournament with series of back to back wins till recent.
I could remember waiting to see one of the home games against Western College (at the school pitch) back then when i was in form two, after school hour. Great old times really.

F I D E L I T A S ! ! !

naptu2:
The Lagos Principals Cup is a phenomenal football tournament that has produced outstanding players like Stephen Keshi (St Finbarrs College), Sunday Oliseh (Methodist Boys High School), Dosu Joseph (Methodist Boys High School), Henry Nwosu (St Finbarrs College), Tarilla Okorowanta (St Gregory's College), Franklin Howard (St Gregory's College), Anthony Enahoro (St Gregory's College), Richard Owubokiri (St Gregory's College), Jonathan Akpoborire (Igbobi College) and many more.

The competition was almost as popular and captivating as the National League. Matches were broadcast live on Radio Nigeria and whole communities adopted school teams (Bariga for CMS [the "Bariga Bombers"], Obalende for St Gregory's, .........

Well done naptu2 bro.Thanks for updating us again in respect to this histroy of school football in Lagos.When will you do a thread on basket ball especially on our own Dodan Warriors team back then? Quiet some time bro.

Sholakanye:


Ilamoye Grammar School from Ilasa right?
Which side did you play for?

I played for ilagrams

good list mr op n i really enjoyed playing n following it d year and it really helped in engaging d kids in the area of sports.
its supposed to be a good breeding ground for raw talents n grassroots football bt it was marred by high flow of corruption especially from d rich private schools influencing officials decisions against publics schools n dts why it was separated n they now play differently..
the public schools gat more talent n stand huge chances of winning d big schools bt d big schools do register machineries dts not in their school n even gv officials kick backs to favor DM..
my school once played kings college around 2007 n thier owner called n hosted my coach n the officials in his big eatery before d game, talks were made n moni were exchanged n we ended up losing 3-0 to the guys dt we outplayed all through d game n thier 3 goals came from penalty spots, we also had 2 goals ruled out for crazy offside by my coach fatai wasnt even bordered or disturbed..
after d game he said we lost because of wat we won't understand bt we all had dinner at dt same eatery "free of charge" before leaving..
it was years later wen I say coach fatai in a wedding dt he explained to me dt dt private school gave 50k to our school for dt lost n 30k for d officials...dt was huge moni around 2007

DaDoctor:
Mainland high school defeated ilamoye grammar school during the 1997 edition (junior category) . I played that game at onikan stadium and it ended 4-1 in favour of mainland high school Ojo. The rain started during the half time and made one post water logged and the other dry. So the shots were blocked by the rain while the other team got bombarded 4-1. Great game

also played for my school around 2009 dt newland won...newland in ajeromi defeated my school ajeromi ifelodun high school in d knockout and i was so good dt i was invited to play for newland n we won dt finals against gansikiya high school i think..
after d match na serious fight end am o n i manage sneak enter ous n dt was d last time i followed or heard about principal cup