One of Nigeria’s leading sports for change NGO, CSED Community Sport and Educational Development Initiative, commonly called CSED, has held a two-day seminar on netball for Physical Education teachers in Port Harcourt.

The training was held in collaboration with the Air Force Secondary School Air Force Base Rumuomasi, Port-Harcourt, and was held at the school premises. 

This training is part of “Project 2027,” which is the CSED Initiative quest to provide Nigerian school children and youths access to learn and play the game of netball in a safe space.

Netball is the only sport in the world that is specifically designed for girls and women.

CSED Initiative sees the game of netball as an important tool that could be used to promote the general health and well-being of the girl child, as well as empower them to blend sport with their academic pursuit.

However, in line with Netball World’s goal of promoting the inclusivity of the game, two secondary schools in Nigeria, Tare Pet School Yenagoa and C.S.C.S. Itam currently have boys’ netball teams, alongside their female netball team.

Thirty-five participants from various secondary schools, including the Nigeria Navy secondary, the Army Day Secondary School, private and public secondary schools, in the city, as well as two Cameroonian refugees who represented the Cameroonian community that is based in Adagom 3, Camp in Ogoja local government area. The training was facilitated by coaches Edema Fuludu, Funsho Ekundayo and Onome Fuludu.

These coaches were supported by Deborah Bakari (a University of Benin Student) who has been playing netball in the past four years in Uhoghua (Benin City).

Some volunteers like Gold Dappa-Wogu also benefited from this free netball training that uses a training manual that was developed by Ambassador Mary Waya (a Netball Africa certified instructor).

The trained netball coaches were provided with free T-shirts that were donated by Lord’s Taverners (a UK based charity).

The newly trained coaches were first taught the importance of safeguarding and safety in the sports environment, which was covered by Coach Onome Fuludu, a graduate of Guidance and Counselling, who is also a qualified safeguarding practitioner.

His presentation focused on the importance of sporting and educational authorities ensuring that students and athletes are supported to take part in sports in a safe environment.

The new netball coaches were also provided with additional access to free online safeguarding training. 

This was followed by the basics of the game, netball rules, applications of the rules, how to mark a netball court, the different netball positions, as well as the roles that are attached to these positions.

Warming up, passing the ball, throwing the ball, the restriction of the movement of players in certain parts of the netball court, practicing how to throw the ball and how to score were also covered.

This was then followed by a practice game between the new coaches who were divided into team blue and team purple. 

The Commandant of the Airforce Secondary School, Port Harcourt, Wing Commander Nasir Adamu, who was instrumental in bringing CSED Initiative to Port Harcourt, stated that he was very pleased to see an NGO that has passion for carrying out developmental and empowerment programmes that are targeted at the girl child.

He urged the participants to take advantage of the training and become reliable coaches in a sport that is being revived in Nigeria.

He also stated that he will visit the schools to monitor progress and use of the freely donated netball starter packs (a pair of netball rims/nets, finger held whistles, two sets of netball training bibs, and netball balls) to the representatives of the participating schools.

CSED National Coordinator, Edema Fuludu used the opportunity to inform participants that the game will soon become a National Sports Festival event and urged them to be serious and as enthusiastic as they have exhibited during the two days of training event.

The new netball coaches take the number of trained netball coaches under “Project 2027” by CSED Initiative to 411.

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The University of Nigeria Secondary School, Nsukka recently completed its 17^th biennial inter-house sports event.

Six houses competed in events in different sports at the premises of the 41- year old school.

The Chairman of the school Board of Governors, Professor F.A. Okwo commended the staff and students of the school for their efforts in hosting a successful inter-house competition, as well as stressed on the important role sports play in the general well-being and health of students.

  For the first time in the history of the school, the game of netball was introduced by the school management that is led by Uche Adama.

About 70 female students competed in the netball event which was the star attraction of this inter-house sports competition.

It provided the young students with the opportunities to exhibit the knowledge and skills that they have learnt from Oluchi Ngwoke and their other P.E. Teachers.

Red and Green Houses played in the final netball match which was won by Green House.

Pink House beat Yellow House to claim the third position. Adaeze Chigbochieaha of Pink House was the best goal scorer of the netball event.

Charles-Nnadi Chibundo of Yellow House beat Eze Miracle of Green House to emerge as the most valuable player of the netball competition.

Playing netball has generated a lot of excitement among the female students at the school, who have been thrilled at what they could do during the competition.

The students learned so fast the rules and skills that are needed to excel in the game of netball.

Given the level of progress the student netballers have made in a short period, the CSED initiative which has supported the introduction of netball to the school, must consider working with the relevant authorities to introduce netball to other secondary schools in the Nsukka area.

 The Trustees of the CSED Initiative must also explore the opportunity of introducing their “Sporting Coders” program to the University Secondary School Nsukka in 2025.

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As part of the sports events marking the Refugee Week 2024 and the International Olympic Day, a netball exhibition event drawing participants  from three refugee camps in Cross Rivers State of Nigeria took place.

 The venue was the netball field of Adagom Camp 1 and participants were from  Adagom 1, Adagom 3, and Ukende refugee camps in Ogoja Local Government area of Cross River State.  The event was organized by CSED (Community Sport and Educational Development) Initiative with the approval and support of the PM of SEMA, the Adagom 1 SEMA Supervisor, and the leaders of the three refugee camps.

Twenty players from each camp were kitted by Lord’s Taverners and CSED Initiative. Each netballer was provided a sport book (“Kick It”) that was donated by the Uxbridge library of London Borough of Hillingdon (UK).

The netballers from the Ukende camp won the two exhibition games. The highlight of the event was the presentation of a five thousand Naira, educational vouchers to each of the sixty netballers.

It would be recalled that netball was recently introduced to the three Ogoja refugee camps after CSED Initiative “Project 2027” training of P.E. teachers in Cross River state was held in April 2024. The “Project 2027” training event led to the certification of coaches Stephanie Obi, Marceline Ode, and Shantel Eseh, who are Cameroonian citizens.

These three coaches are now charged with the responsibility of providing the girls and ladies in their respective camp with access to learn the basic of netball, identify, and nurture the talents of the budding netballers.

CSED Initiative with the support of Lord’s Taverners, UNHCR, Cross River SEMA, and other relevant partners/stakeholders hope to use access to playing netball to provide psycho-social support and access to educational/life skills training opportunities to the residents of the three camps.

The immediate goal of CSED Initiative is to build a multi-purpose cement playing surface for the use of the netballers in each of the separate camps.

Furthermore, some of these netballers will have access to take part in the “Sporting Coders” programme, which will allow them access to learn how to code, while at the same time playing netball.

The organisers of the event stated that their ultimate goal is to give the Cameroonian refugees a sporting chance to compete with other girls all over the world; in an attempt to feature in the netball event of the 2032 Olympic games in Brisbane.

The Cameroonians will definitely be inspired by the story of Mary Cholhok Nuba, a former South Sudanese refugee, who is now a netball superstar in England.