Federation Decries Dearth Of Sponsorship

The Nigeria Squash Fed

eration (NSF) has decried the lack of sponsors for its programmes, which has forced it to pull out of the forthcoming Africa U-19 Junior Championship in Zimbabwe.

The NSF’s Secretary, Evelyn Fabunmi, told newsmen in Lagos, that the withdrawal had set them back in their bid to reposition the sport in the country.

Fabunmi regretted the cancellation of their trip to Harare which, she noted, would have afforded the NSF an opportunity to expose its players to the right kind of competition in Africa.

The secretary regretted the non-release of funds by the National Sports Commission (NSC), which she quoted as saying that its problem had to do with the government’s failure to implement the 2012 budget.

“We are not going for the U-19 championship in Zimbabwe because of the poor state of our finances.

“The NSC has advised us to source for sponsors, pending the release of its budgetary allocation from the government,’’ Fabunmi said.

When asked about the effect the cancellation would have on its players who were billed to travel for the competition, the NSF secretary said that they were taking the development in good faith.

“I have always kept them informed on the happenings, although they are not happy. I understand how they feel.

“ At the moment, we are seriously soliciting for sponsors,’’ she said.

The secretary said that the NSF’s efforts to get sponsors for its programmes had not yielded the expected results.

However, Fabunmisaid that the lack of sponsors had not deterred the body from preparing for some local competitions.

“The David Mark’s President Cup will come up in May, and we are looking forward to that,’’ she said.

The Africa U-19 Junior Championship is slated to hold from April 5 to April 10 in Harare, Zimbabwe.