Azeez Ladipo
Azeez Ladipo, born on March 24, 1987, is a rugby union player from Nigeria who played for[1] the Nigerian National Rugby Team (Stallions) in numerous competitions between 2005 and 2019.
Life and career
[edit]Azeez Ladipo is a playmaker and fly half. As a youth, he began playing for Nigeria's Lagos Rugby Club, Racing Rugby Club[2],[3] and Cowrie Rugby Club.[4] Later, he played for the Chicago Blaze Rugby Club,[5] which is situated in Lemont, Illinois, in the United States.
Azeez chose to focus on management after retiring playing rugby, and in 2022 he was appointed General Manager[6] of the Nigeria Rugby Football Federation (NRFF).
Further reading
[edit]Born and raised in Nigeria, Ladipo played rugby at the U14 level for the Lagos Rugby Club, where he was coached by Sir Martin Crawford, Yinka Marinho,[7] and Tunde Akerele.[8] Later, as a youngster, he advanced through the ranks and made his debut for his country in the 2005 Rugby World Cup qualifiers against Senegal in Dakar and Cameroun in Lagos.[9] Prior to a brief stay with the Chicago Blaze Rugby Club in the USA,[10] he joined Racing Rugby Club in 2005 and Cowrie Rugby Club in 2009.
He is the captain of the National team's 7s and 15s for the longest period (2013–2019).[11] In 2006, he helped Nigeria win the Super 16 Championship by scoring 12 points in the final, which helped them upset a fierce host team, Togo, 12–11.[12] Additional honours include winning the Dubai Sevens plate,[13] winning multiple Lagos League championship,[14] as well as the National League championship,[15] winning multiple Independence Rugby Sevens Tournaments,[16] and winning gold medals at the National Sports festival, among others.
Ladipo was appointed to the Nigeria Olympic Committee Athletes Commissionin July 2023.[17]
He holds a Bachelors Degree in Public Administration from the Lagos State University
References
[edit]- ^ punchng (2016-09-10). "Nigerian rugby not yet professional – Ladipo". Punch Newspapers. Retrieved 2025-01-05.
- ^ "Sports - Rugby: Racing RFC move up to second,Cowrie Rugby Club set a record win". 6 August 2014.
- ^ "Rugby: Courie, Racing For Dubai 7s". Retrieved 2025-01-05.
- ^ "Cowrie RFC wins 2017 NRFF South West Rugby League". 20 December 2017.
- ^ http://www.chicagoblazerugby.com/
- ^ "Nigeria Rugby Appoints Azeez Ladipo As General Manager". Complete Sports. 2022-04-26. Retrieved 2025-01-05.
- ^ "Mr Yinka Marinho Archives". Channels Television. Retrieved 2025-01-05.
- ^ vanguard (2011-07-13). "Emotions as NOC inaugurates Rugby Football Federation". Vanguard News. Retrieved 2025-01-05.
- ^ https://allafrica.com/stories/200502110524.html.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "SPRING 2019". Chicago Blaze Rugby. Retrieved 2025-01-05.
- ^ Nation, The (2017-01-23). "I learnt humility, self-control as Rugby Captain". The Nation Newspaper. Retrieved 2025-01-05.
- ^ https://allafrica.com/stories/200608090413.html.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Nigeria, Guardian (2016-06-17). "Fasimoye, the Lagos Stallion, who conquered Dubai men's rugby open". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. Retrieved 2025-01-05.
- ^ Nigeria, Guardian (2017-12-20). "Cowrie RFC wins 2017 NRFF South West Rugby League". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. Retrieved 2025-01-05.
- ^ Guardian, The (2016-03-01). "Cowrie RFC wins maiden NRFF Super Cup". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. Retrieved 2025-01-05.
- ^ vanguard (2013-10-15). "Police wins Independence rugby tourney". Vanguard News. Retrieved 2025-01-05.
- ^ Reporter, Our (2024-07-03). "Nigeria Olympic Athletes Commission hold forum next week". The Nation Newspaper. Retrieved 2025-01-05.