Ilaji Soccer Academy, an offshoot of Ilaji Hotels and Sports Resort, was established in 2018 after the completion of Ona-Ara Sports Festival, a sport championship jointly organised by Ona-Ara Local Government and Ilaji Hotels and Sports Resort.
The competition which was solely financed by Chief (Engr.) Dotun Sanusi, the Chief Executive Officer, Ilaji Hotels and Sports Resort, featured Secondary School students drawn solely from Ona-Ara LG. At the end of this Championship, the best talents from each football team were integrated into Ilaji Soccer Academy.
To make the academy players able to compete at the highest level, a youth coach veteran, Coach Babatunde Odubola popularly known as Zicco, a former National Caoch and Ex-3SC player, was recruited to mould and polish the players’ skills.
Aftermath of an intensive training and exposure to modern-day football techniques, the soccer academy went on a winning spree that spanned over a year. The urge for stiffer challenges made the team to embark on a Ghana trip where they won two matches and drew two against Division II Clubs in Accra, Ghana.
Some of the team’s players have since been promoted into the main team- Ilaji Football Club.