NHCA President Urges Revamping Of Handball

President, Nigeria Handball Coaches Association (NHCA), Coach John Jatau, has said that  coaches should go back to the grassroots to get new players to revamp the sport in Nigeria.

He said this in an interview with newsmen in Abuja after a training match between the coaches and the veteran handball team.

According to him, coaches should go to the primary and secondary schools to get new players that would do the nation proud.

Jatau stated that handball could not make it to the Olympics because the federation rushed to pick the wrong players.

“We have rushed and not allowed ourselves to choose the right calibre of players because we were still believing in our past glory which we got it wrong; that is why we coaches are on ground now to get it right”

He urged coaches to imbibe the right attitude and bring in the right players and not over-aged players for the U-12 and U-18 handball team.

“We have to change our attitude to bring the real age players so that players start from U-12, U-18 which will produce the right players for us.

“The coaches will have to go to the grassroots and do the right thing in bringing the right calibre of players to move the federation forward,” he said.

Chief Coach of Sokoto State Sports Council, Patrick Atusu,   said the  coaches must be role models and demonstrate a healthy lifestyle for the players to emulate and encourage the players all the time.

He said building a new handball team required a lot of skills which a coach must impart to his players.

Atusu further stated that for the handball federation to move forward, all hands must be on deck and called on coaches and the ex-handball players to look for sponsorship for competitions.