Pelican Stars Cry Out Over Poor Funding

The Chairman, Pelican
Stars Female Football Club of Calabar, Sam Kombor,  has appealed to the Cross River State Government to give priority to women football in the state.
Kombor who made the appeal on Monday in Calabar told newsmen that this would help to promote talents and enhance development.
He said that if the club was adequately funded and given attention, it would encourage girls to actively participate in football activities, and promote the game in the state.
“Over the years, Pelican Stars have been on very low funding. It is the commitment of the management and the passion for the game that has kept us where we are today.
“We have a very low funding and you know female football in Nigeria needs adequate funding to keep the girls moving.
“Everything about the team is done by the club, such as feeding of players, travelling for away matches and others. So, we need government assistance.
“However, while the government is trying its best, it is my belief that the government can do better to support us financially because football is capital intensive,’’Kombor said.
He added that the club had tried to seek support and sponsorship from a number of corporate organisations in the state and beyond, but none of them has responded yet.
“We have approach Northwest Petroleum, Orsacom Company, Unicem and others, but the response we get is that Pelican Stars is a government club and it should be funded by the government as well,’’ the club chairman said.
Kombor, who said most of the key players in the club have left for other well-funded clubs, attributed their exit to low funding and poor remuneration.
He said the club has an annual budgetary allocation in the state budget, but claimed that the state’s Accountant-General was not co-operating in the release of the funds.
The club chairman however gave assurance that Pelican Stars would emerge champions at the end of the current season, after they came second last year.
“For this season, we are more prepared than ever before to make sure that we emerge the champion of champions,’’ he assured.