Phoenix Girls FC Ignite Revival at Upgraded White Sand Field

Football fever has returned with renewed vigour to the historic White Sand Field in Orile-Iganmu, Lagos — and at the heart of the revival is an ambitious female side, Phoenix Girls FC.

The renewed activity at the venue has stirred memories of the glory days when 1994 African Footballer of the Year, Emmanuel Amuneke, regularly appeared at the same ground as sponsor of former Nigerian Amateur National League outfit Soccer Warriors FC.

The now-upgraded pitch once a vast, sandy expanse played a crucial role in nurturing raw talent. It served as a training ground for all three tiers of the National Grassroots Dream Team, developing players such as Ayo Makinwa, Ifeanyi Emeghara, Femi Ajilore, Kazeem Ayila, Nnamdi Oduamadi, and Benjamin Onwuachi, among others.

For years, the bumpy, sand-laden pitch served as their foundation until commercial activity took over the area, with petrol tankers and roadside kiosks forcing an abrupt end to football. Even Obafemi Akinwunmi Martins, who lived nearby before moving to FC Ebedie, was a regular presence before the field became dormant.

Today, however, the story has changed. The ground has been transformed into a mini-stadium, reawakening its footballing culture and Phoenix Girls FC are leading that resurgence impressively.

The team recently claimed second place for the second straight year at the prestigious Addbrand Youth Cup staged at Abalti Barracks in Surulere. Having won the maiden edition in 2023, their consistent success reflects stability and ambition within the fast-growing club.

Club chairman and CEO, Prince Ganiyu Adetunji, expressed delight with the progress made since separating the coaching responsibilities of the girls’ squad from the boys’. He praised the technical team for proving that the decision was justified.

Head coach Balogun Waheed Olaitan also credited the CEO for providing strong support and emphasised that the players’ discipline has been essential to the team’s rising profile.

“We do everything here like a professional club, and that’s why we are getting good results,” said the articulate coach, who graduated from the National Institute for Sports in 2024.

Waheed admitted he never played league football, but believes his experience in grassroots coaching has been key to elevating the team.

“I love football and I do my coaching with joy. For me, football is everything. At each point, I’m either coaching, playing, watching, or talking football.”

He further revealed that he was initially hesitant to handle the female squad, but has now embraced the challenge wholeheartedly.

“I never thought I’d be training girls, but they are the ones helping me express my passion for coaching,” he confessed.

Editorial

The return of football to White Sand Field is more than the revival of a playground it is the rekindling of a cultural artery in Lagos football. Once a furnace that forged Amuneke’s protégés and moulded future internationals, the ground had slipped into silence, smothered not by time but by tanker trucks and commerce.

Now, Phoenix Girls FC have done something remarkable they have not merely occupied the space, they have re-energised it. In a city brimming with male-dominated academies, their presence introduces a refreshing counter-narrative one of opportunity, resilience, and reclamation.

There is something poetic in watching young women run across a field once trodden by Martins and Makinwa. Football, as ever, finds a way to breathe through those who need it most. The girls, disciplined and hungry, are not just playing they are restoring a heritage, grain of sand by grain of sand.

Much credit must fall on the shoulders of Coach Waheed, whose humility and commitment echo the values that built Nigerian football’s grassroots. His journey — from reluctance to reverence for the girls he now leads mirrors Nigerian football’s broader challenge recognising where the future truly lies.

White Sand Field has risen again, not because concrete was poured, but because passion returned. The stadium may be small, but the symbolism is towering.

Did You Know?

1. White Sand Field is one of Lagos’ oldest informal football hubs, dating back more than four decades as a grassroots training ground.
2. Emmanuel Amuneke once funded full kits and training logistics for teams using the field during his active playing years.
3. Before its revival, the White Sand pitch was dormant for nearly six years, following its takeover by tanker operators.
4. Phoenix Girls FC began as a mixed-gender training group, before the club officially separated the squads into distinct male and female teams.
5. The Addbrand Youth Cup, where the girls finished runners-up, has grown to include over 20 youth teams from across Lagos since its inception.