About Touchline
Touchline started with a simple idea: give Lagos players a stage worthy of their ability.
The Story
Lagos has always had the talent. What it needed was the platform.
Touchline was founded by Damilola Atere under 53 Collective to create a grassroots football tournament that felt premium, competitive and unmistakably Lagos, with no compromise on the production or the football.
The first edition set the tone, and the standard has risen every year since. Touchline IV brought nearly 900 people to Children International School and established the tournament as the city's most anticipated grassroots football event.
Touchline V is where the concept becomes permanent.
The Format
Touchline runs a 7-a-side format across a single day of competition. Teams are drawn into groups, play through the knockouts, and the best side walks away as Touchline champions.
We recommend squads of 10 to 12 to cover availability on the day.
Teams progress through a group phase, then straight knockout rounds until one champion remains.
The whole tournament runs over a single day at Children International School, Lagos.
The Mission
Touchline is the sporting event, and the community is the product.
We believe grassroots football in Lagos deserves world-class treatment in its production, its experience and the brands it attracts. Every edition is designed to raise that bar for the players who train for it, the fans who fill the stands and the sponsors who want to reach them.
The Team
Founder & Principal, 53 Group
Managing Partner, Football Operations
Managing Partner, Football Operations
Managing Partner, Finance
The Family
Touchline is run by 53 Collective, the events arm of 53 Group, a Lagos-born portfolio founded by Damilola Atere. Football is one lane, and this is the rest of the family: