Sports
Govt Should Encourage Grassroots Football – Coach
The Director of Rivers Blue FC of Port Harcourt, Reward Amadi, has appealed to the Rivers State Government to encourage and show more support to grassroots football for the development youths in the game.
He said that it is very discouraging when youths are not given enough encouragement in the round leather game, adding that if given adequate encouragement, youths would be pulled off the streets.
Amadi, who is also the Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of the club, made the appeal in a telephone interview with Tidesports on Monday when asked why his team failed to honour the playoffs of the Nationwide League 2 match in Yenagoa zone.
He explained that they failed to attend the playoffs in Yenagoa due to lack of sponsorship, adding that it was quite unfortunate that the Champions of this year’s Rivers State Super League could not attend the playoffs in their backyard.
The Director of Rivers Blue FC said he was told by the Rivers State Football Association (RSFA) that winning the Super League will automatically qualify for the playoffs of the NWL adding that he was surprised that after winning the tournament, even a sachet of pure water was not given to them for winning competition.
“ It is quite unfortunate that we failed to attend because of lack of sponsorships.
“ I was surprised that after winning the Super League, nothing came out in form of encouragement from the State Football Association.
“ We approached the State FA for help but they said they were running the State Football Association from their pockets.
“ We are just a new team, we do not have a sponsor.
“ The team is being run by one man who is willing to encourage the youth, steer them away from the streets and get them involved in the round leather game.
“ I am begging the Rivers State Government and the Football Association to encourage grassroots football teams in the state because what happened to us was very discouraging,” Amadi said.
He revealed that failure to attend the playoff will not stop his team from playing the game, explaining that maybe next time by the grace of God they will attend if they have the opportunity.
It is worthy to note that teams from Enugu, Cross River, Abia and Edo also failed to honour the playoffs, leaving the slot for Benel Insurance FC Feeders, who were the only team available for the playoff matches.
A well-known football pundit in the State, Chief Christopher Okonkwo has lauded the efforts and vision of the Super Eagles Coach Eric Chelle for going from one venue of the Nigeria Domestic Nigeria Professional Football League match to the other in monitoring Nigerian players, with a view to invite some exceptional good one discovered into the main stream of the Super Eagles team.
Okonkwo, who made the commendation in an interview at the Port Harcourt Club recently, described the positive move by Coach Chelle as a good step in the right direction, noting that the practice was how its been done in the past among any contracted coach assigned to tinker the Super Eagles team.
“Truly, it has been an old tradition in the country seeing any newly engaged Coach to lead the National team, visiting some our Nigeria League venues during the league matches to spot light some good talents that could be used to beef up some grey areas in the department of Eagles team”
He, however, frowned at the current situation where our coaches had continously been over depending on the use of foreign based players during invitation of players to the National camp, thereby, relegating the domestic home based league players to the background as if they have nothing much to offer to the team.
“I can vividly recall that the likes of great players in the mode of Finidi George, Taribo West, Kanu Nwankwo, Austin Okocha, Richard Owobokiri, Emmanuel Osuigwe among others started from Nigeria football league before they graduated to play in Europe through which they later invited to Super Eagles camp to represent Nigeria”
“Besides, I’m also of the view that going to secondary school football competitive games could equally serves as a a good platform to discover budding talents that could be nurtured to become great stars in near future”, Okonkwo frankly added.
Okonkwo, therefore, prayed that any football coach to be engaged by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to tinker the Super Eagles should be told not to confine himself in staying in big hotel alone but to be visiting some of our local league match venues, with a view to discover some good players that can be drafted into the Super Eagles team.
“Indeed, I stand to be challenged that there some young good players in the Nigeria Professional League. If spotted and exposed, could give the some of the invited foreign based players a stiff competitive fight in securing a postion in the team”, Okonkwo emphatically stated.
Ezechukwu, one of the youngest members of the Nigerian contingent at the championship in Ghana, said her ambition was to win the 100m title in style and cap it with a new personal record.
The fresh secondary school graduate explained that she is fully focused on contributing to Team Nigeria’s medal hopes and is determined to deliver strong performances across her events.
“My main objective in Ghana is to clinch the 100m title and the 4×100m,” Ezechukwu told Tidesports source.
“Nigeria can be assured of my very best and my commitment to the Team. I would love to set a new personal best in Ghana, but anything that comes, I will take it. The spirit in the team is high, and I think we are ready to go,” she said.
Ezechukwu, who was part of Nigeria’s women’s 4x100m relay squad at the World Relays in Botswana, said the experience gained from that competition has strengthened her mindset heading into the continental championships.
She admitted that she learned valuable lessons from her previous outing, including a difficult moment during the relay where an early error affected the team’s rhythm, but said she has used the experience to improve her discipline and composure.
“The secret is just being disciplined, training hard and trusting my coach and believing in God, and the result will show,” she added.
The teenager is part of a 41-member Nigerian team comprising 24 female and 17 male athletes competing at the championships, which begin today at the University of Ghana, Legon.
Nigeria are expected to compete across multiple track and field events as they aim for a strong finish against the continent’s elite athletes.
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