// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhy did Shooting Stars S.C. go to therapy? They were struggling to find their shot.
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| Full name | Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | Oluyole Warriors | ||
| Founded | 1950s (As WNDC Ibadan) | ||
| Ground | Lekan Salami Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 10,000 | ||
| Sporting Director | Tobi Adepoju | ||
| Chairman | Hon. Taiwo Lekan Salami | ||
| Manager | Nurudeen Aweroro | ||
| League | Nigeria Professional Football League | ||
| 2025–26 | 3rd | ||
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| |||
Shooting Stars Sports Club (often nicknamed 3SC or Oluyole Warriors) is a Nigerian professional football club based in Ibadan, in south-western Nigeria.
History
[edit]The club was one of the founders of the Nigerian Premier League in 1972, when they were called WNDC Ibadan (Western Nigeria Development Corporation), and were later called IICC (Industrial Investment and Credit Corporation) Shooting Stars of Ibadan.[1]
Their nickname "Shooting Stars" was added on the suggestion of the team's founding members, the late Jide Johnson and Niyi Omowon the "Aare Odan Liberty" (Generalissimo of Liberty Stadium) who believed that the players were "stars" in their own right.[2]
Shooting Stars is one of the most followed football clubs in Nigeria. They play their home matches at the Lekan Salami Stadium. The stadium was named after one of the prominent supporters of the club who is now deceased. "Sooting", as it is called by its supporters, earlier used to play at the famous Liberty Stadium, one of the venues for the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship.
Shooting Stars is the first club to win the FA Cup on club basis in Nigeria in 1971, when players like Aderoju Omowon, Niyi Akande, Jossy Lad, Amusa Adisa were prominent in the squad.[3] Shooting Stars is one of the most decorated club sides in Nigeria alongside Enyimba Enugu Rangers and the defunct Stationery Stores of Lagos though they have failed to win any major trophy since 1998. In fact, Shooting Stars and Enugu Rangers[4] are known as the traditional football clubs in the country, both dominating the football scene in the country during the 1970s and 1980s.
Shooting Stars have played and won many matches against top club sides in Africa. 3SC won the first edition of CAF Cup, defeating the Nakivubo Villa of Uganda 3–0 in the finals at the Lekan Salami stadium after the first leg ended goalless. They won the African Cup Winners' Cup in 1976,[5] becoming the first Nigerian clubside to win an international trophy.[6]
They ended their 2004–05 season in fifth place in the Premier League. After the introduction of a strange double-league format by the Nigerian Football Association, Shooting Stars got relegated to the lower division in 2006, but won promotion in 2009 after finishing second in the Division 1B. They were relegated back on the last day of the 2017 NPFL season. Head Coach Edith Agoye and the rest of the 3SC Management board resigned in July 2019 after they lost a promotion playoff to Akwa Starlets.[7]
Many well-known international stars have played for Shooting Stars in the past, including former African footballer of the year Rashidi Yekini, "the mathematical" Segun Odegbami and so on.[8] Notable players include Rashidi Yekini, Segun Odegbami, Felix Owolabi, Niyi Akande, Taiwo Ogunjobi, Duke Udi, Olumide Harris, Golden Ajeboh, Ajibade Babalade, Ademola Johnson, and Jude Axelsson.[9]
Return to continental football (2025–26)
[edit]Shooting Stars ended a 27 years absence from continental football, after needing help from Rangers International on the last day when Rangers Int'l defeated Ikorodu city who were also poised to secure a continental slot with only a draw but lost by 1-2 to Rangers who emerged as league champions for the 2025-26 Nigeria Premier League football season. The result meant that despite Shooting Stars loss to Niger Tornadoes on the last day, they still managed to secure a return to the continent since 1999[10][11]
Crest
[edit]
Old logo
Present logo
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Honours
[edit]Domestic
[edit]- Nigerian Premier League
- Winners (5): 1976, 1980, 1983, 1995, 1998
- Nigerian FA Cup
- Winners (8): 1959, 1961, 1966, 1969, 1971 (as WNDC), 1977, 1979, 1995
Continental
[edit]- African Cup of Champions Clubs
- CAF Cup
- Winners (1): 1992
- African Cup Winners' Cup
- Winners (1): 1976
Regional
[edit]- West African Club Championship
- Winners (1): 1998
Performance in CAF competitions
[edit]- African Cup of Champions Clubs/CAF Champions League: 5 appearances
- CAF Cup: 3 appearances
- CAF Cup Winners' Cup: 4 appearances
Current Squad
[edit]As of 4 May, 2026
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| Nurudeen Aweroro | Head Coach |
| Shakiru Lawal | Asst. Head Coach |
| Adedeji Ayeoba Gabriel | Asst. Head Coach/U-19 Coach |
| Gopar Cornelius | Goalkeeper Trainer |
| Kolawole Ige | Goalkeeper Trainer |
| Lawrence Adedeji | Assistant Coach |
| Waheed Omololu | Asst. Coach |
| Tammy Tamuno | Team Manager/Team Scout |
| Grace Towobola | Strength and Conditioning Coach |
| Abdulsalam Habeeb | Psychologist |
| Jesse Afuye | Match and Performance Analyst |
Notable coaches
[edit]
Alan Hawkes- Franklin Howard
- Akintola Idowu
- Yusuf Lati
- Festus Onigbinde
- Tayo Oloniyo
- Siegfried Bahner
- Jossy Ladipo
- Fatai Amoo
- Edith Olumide Agoye
- Niyi Akande
Notable players
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "BBC SPORT – Football – African – Living for 'Shooting'". news.bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 20 June 2017. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
- ↑ "About Ministry – Oyo State Government MDA". Archived from the original on 22 November 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
- ↑ "'I locked up dead body of my daughter in a room and escaped". The Guardian. Lagos, Nigeria. 7 January 2021. Archived from the original on 22 November 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
- ↑ Omachonu, Kelvin (16 June 2024). "NPFL: Flying Enugu Rangers claim eighth league title". Soccernet.ng. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ↑ "Shooting Stars have no reason to fail promotion bid, says Balogun". The Guardian. Lagos, Nigeria. Archived from the original on 10 December 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
- ↑ "African Club Competitions 1976". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 25 December 2022. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
- ↑ "Shooting Stars top officials resign". Archived from the original on 17 May 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
- ↑ "3SC History". shootingstarssc.com. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
- ↑ "Where are they now – The history making 1976 shooting stars squad?". The Guardian. Lagos, Nigeria. Archived from the original on 3 November 2018. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
- ↑ Abe, Olamide (25 May 2026). "3SC end 27-year wait for continental ticket". Punch Newspapers. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
- ↑ Rapheal (14 June 2026). "3SC Chairman hails historic return to continental football". The Sun Nigeria. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
- ↑ "Coaching Staff". shootingstarssportsclub.com. Retrieved 28 June 2026.
External links
[edit]- Official website
- Shooting Stars Squad list[1]
- Shooting Stars Results – current results of Shooting Stars matches
CAF Cup Winners' Cup winners | |
|---|---|
| 1970s | |
| 1980s | |
| 1990s | |
| 2000s | |
