Real Madrid Football Academy, PH

Penultimate Saturday, the Real Madrid Football Academy was commissioned in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, signalling the commencement of quality grooming of young football talents in a world class facility, modelled after that of one of best football club sides in the world, Real Madrid FC.
The project, delivered by the administration of Governor Nyesom Wike was commissioned by the Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde. According to Governor Makinde, “The project will allow the early discovery and harnessing of football talents in Rivers. There has always been great football talents from the state … This project will create more stars”.
The Tide commends the vision and commitment of Governor Wike in matching action with words in his promise to put in place the world class facility for the development of Rivers youths and others. In fact, the facility, arguably, one of its kind in Nigeria and Africa as a whole took a little above one year to be completed. Furthermore, in demonstration of utter commitment, passion and willingness to domesticate the institution, nine coaches drawn from Rivers State and other states were sent to Spain to be trained first hand at the mother academy in Madrid by the Rivers State Government. It is these coaches that are expected to lead the training of intakes at the academy in Port Harcourt.
We are happy that young Rivers boys and girls, now have the platform and opportunity to explore and express their talents in football at their door steps. With the academy, many youngsters will have access to quality coaching and exposure to high-tech equipment and practices that will help develop their football artistry faster and cheaper, rather than the days of searching and paying, often times expensively, for such experiences outside the country.
Interestingly, the academy would not be exclusively for Rivers indigenes. Other Nigerians are to be given access to benefit from the facility. That the academy’s intakes give 70 percent consideration to Rivers indigenes and 30 percent to other Nigerians underscores the consideration to protect the interest of the state, as well as carry other parts of the country along.
We, therefore, call on the management of the academy to ensure that the policy and founding ideals of the institution are neither mortgaged nor politicised. The vision and cardinal principles of the academy must be maintained at all times to ensure its viability and sustainability.
We are elated that the Rivers State Government has resolved to construct a school and hostels in addition to current facilities at the academy. Thus, the facility will not afford only football grooming to the intakes but also academic knowledge that will aid them in their chosen career, even after their active days in sports.
In addition to football and academic lessons to intakes, the academy is set to synergise with schools in the state toward training their Physical Education tutors in modern ways of physical exercises to enhance the physical and mental development of students. This, we believe, will be a bonus to the school environment in Rivers State.
Football academies all over the world apart from their primary function of identifying and grooming top talents also provide career opportunities for their products. In addition, they equally serve as sources of revenue through transfer of players to clubs and sundry services.
We, therefore expect the Real Madrid Football Academy to not only raise top class footballers from Rivers State and beyond, it should within a couple of years be able to earn revenue through systematic management of its products.
All things being equal, the academy is in a position to be a nursery bed of talents to football club sides within Nigeria, Africa and the world at large. More so, with players graduating from the academy and being fixed into clubs, football in Nigeria will hopefully take a positive leap. Even the country’s playing culture, style and pattern would experience some revolution.
Indeed, expectations from the academy are very high. That is why we call on the state government and the management of the institution to guard the facility jealously. The academy must not be allowed to go the usual way of government establishments. We urge all stakeholders to ensure that sustainable policy that will engender effective maintenance is put in place.
Also, adequate security measures that will guarantee safety of lives and property, particularly, that of students and facilities are adopted.
We are happy with the quality of the partners behind the project and at the assurances of the Area Manager of Real Madrid Foundation for Africa and Middle East, Inigo Vallejo, who declared that the club has keyed into the academy and would help drive it.
The Tide is confident that with the academy running at full steam and opportunities given to prospective students, the days of Rivers State-based football clubsides and others scrounging for players would be a thing of the past.
Rivers youth and indeed others have gotten a world class platform to use to strive for successful career in football. We urge the youth and parents to take advantage of the opportunity provided by the vision of Governor Wike’s exemplary strides in sports infrastructure development.