Nigerian Football
Exceptional Talents in the Offing as Camp GTBank 2017 Closes
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
The atmosphere was filled with overwhelming emotion as 40 student-footballers depart Greensprings School, Lekki at the outskirt of Lagos on Monday. They felt quite fulfilled as people equipped to face future challenges and overcome in their chosen vocation, football.
They were the 30 boys and 10 girls carefully selected from the Principals Cup in Lagos and Ogun states as well as the Master Cup – all secondary schools football tournaments sponsored by Guarantee Trust Bank plc. They have been camped along with 60 school coaches from Lagos and Ogun on an all-expense paid one week intensive player development and coach-training programme tagged Camp GTBank.
- The Camp GTBank coaching crew (seated) and some of the selected secondary schools’ coaches.
It was the fifth edition after those of 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2015 all held at the IITA in Ibadan. The programme is designed to help the talents kick start their football career.
In the past seven years 170 students have passed through the programme in which renowned coaches were called up to assist in mentoring the burgeoning footballers. Perhaps, the biggest name to have emerged from the programme is Stephen Odey, a star player in the current Nigerian professional league.
According to one of the coaches at the programme, there may have been other star performers who were products of the GTBank Principals Cup and the Camp GTBank, but due to lack of tracking system, they may not have been identified.
But the camp, though very brief produced results. On Friday the female team defeated a regular soccer academy Springsoca by 6-0 while their male counterpart put up such resilience that the Eko Football assembly that had been camped for almost one year could not defeat the Camp GTBank which trained for less than a week.
The strength-testing match played on Saturday morning ended goalless. This year the coaching crew was led by former Nigerian international and chief coach, Augustine Eguavoen. Other crew members were Henry Nwosu, Waheed Akanni, Ann Chiejine, Yisa Sofoluwe, Ajuma Ameh-Ottache and Jolomi Atune. They are all proven former footballers and coaches.
They took the participants through all the aspects of football and exposed them to modern rules as well as improving their physical and mental conditions.
The players were thrilled. One of the star attractions among the 40 players was the diminutive 10-year old girl, Aliyat Saheed, a JSS 1 student Isale Eko Grammar School, Lagos Island.
- Excited Aliyat Saheed of Isale Eko Grammar School, Lagos Island enthusiastically looks forward to a promising football career.
She was already an attraction as a member of the Isale Eko Grammar School, Lagos Island which emerged champions in the girls’ category of the GTBank Lagos State Principals Cup earlier this year.
Despite her small stature and age, she was so impressive that Austin Eguavoen intuitively sprang her off her feet and carried her. She is a small girl with big ambition.
- Aliyat Saheed of Isale Eko Grammar School, Lagos Island takes on three players of Government Senior Secondary School, Agege in the final match of 2017 GTBank Lagos State Principals Cup.
“I want to make a big career in football. I want to play for Nigeria. I want to play professionally in Europe”, she remarked. She said that it was a big privilege for her to have participated in the programme in which she remarked that her ball control, team-building and ball passing have been perfected.
Most other participants have similar remarks. One of them, Nwachukwu Onyedika, a goalkeeper from St. Finbarr’s College, Akoka spoke about his newly acquired experience.
According to him, apart from acquisition of new skills and techniques, “I learnt what is called team discipline. We were made to wake up at a specific time and perform specific roles at designated time.
“We were taught about on field and off field disciplines. I learnt about team building and bonding. I learnt how to make new friends. Imagine that all of us came from different schools, yet we all became friends”.
- Classroom time as Coach Augustine Eguavoen takes the students on team building and discipline.
The daily schedules were tightly packed. They woke up by 5.30 am and must go to the field by 6:00 for a 30 minute exercise. They then went back to their rooms for shower and by 7:15 am they filed out to have breakfast.
At 8:00 they were already seated in the classroom for team building and classroom sessions. That programme lasted daily for an hour before the players filed out to the field at 9:00 for three-hour field training.
After lunch they resumed the one hour classroom session at 1:30 in the afternoon. The field training resumed at 2-30 in the afternoon and lasted the duration of a football match. The participants then went back for showers and then dinner before having a two hour time out for games and socials. At 9pm prompt, they were in bed.
The coaches also had exciting time handling the players as well as the 60 secondary schools’ coaches drawn from schools in Ogun and Lagos states. Henry Nwosu, a product of schools football and member of the Nigerian winning side in the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations said his rise to stardom was a motivation to the various school footballers hoping to make mark as they were taught the basics which their various games masters in schools may not have imparted to them.
It was the fifth time out for Yisa Sofoluwe who had been with the Camp GTBank from inception. Waheed Akanni, who also played for Nigeria at both junior and senior levels before becoming a chairman of the Lagos State FA, said the coaching crew emphasized on discipline both on and off the field for the students if they hoped to make a successful career in football. “But above all, we told them of the need to also take their academics very serious.
Nigerian Football
African Schools Football Championship: NFF, UBEC commit to fruitful collaboration in win-win scenario
The Nigeria Football Federation and the Universal Basic Education Commission have agreed to a meaningful and fruitful collaboration that will see Nigeria challenging strongly for honours in the annual African Schools Football Championship and also compel sporting infrastructure renewal in Nigeria’s pre-tertiary educational institutions.
During a courtesy call on the Executive Secretary of UBEC, Dr. Hamid Bobboyi on Monday, President of NFF Ibrahim Musa Gusau explained that the annual competition can spur infrastructural upgrade in Nigeria’s primary and secondary schools, lead to discovery of talents even beyond the imaginable and assure Nigeria’s football future.
“The African Schools Football Championship is for U13 and U15 pupils, and is organized by CAF. There are so many benefits for the winning school, with a prize money of $1million that will be used to provide football infrastructure for that school. I see no reason why our schools should not compete strongly, as triumph for one school in the country will have a multiplier effect on other schools.
“We have come to UBEC because this matter falls squarely within its purview. Last year, the NFF worked with the Nigeria School Sports Federation to produce representative schools in the male and female categories to fly Nigeria’s flag, in our debut in the competition. However, we believe we should expand the scope and get more schools involved, to have a very strong representation and stand the chance of winning both trophies,” Gusau said.
He also disclosed that the NSSF has concluded plans to kick off the state preliminaries of the male and female competitions this month, with the WAFU-B Tournament scheduled for Niger Republic in November, at which the WAFU-B flagbearers for the continental finals will emerge.
UBEC Executive Secretary, Dr. Bobboyi, praised the leadership of the NFF for the visit, and pledged the full co-operation of UBEC to the project. “Infrastructural deficit is a big challenge in our primary and junior secondary schools, and this project will definitely help to speed up our own efforts to restore the good old days of standard facilities and equipment in our schools.
“Since 2018, we have been making efforts to restore sporting infrastructure in our schools, by appealing to state governments and providing the equipment that we can. Many countries of the world specifically offer scholarships to athletes simply because of their sporting ability. Sports help children to develop physically and mentally, and we also must safeguard the future of sports by taking practical steps to unearth talents from the schools and the grassroots that can be nurtured for glory.”
Present as well at the occasion were NFF 1st Vice President, Chief Felix Anyansi-Agwu; General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi; Engr. Sadiq Sa’ad (UBEC Director of Physical Planning); Ademola Olajire (NFF Director of Media & Communications; Okey Obi (NFF Director of Legal Services); Ruth David (NFF Director of Competitions); Dr. Funsho Usman (Secretary General, NSSF); Mrs Rose Medubi (Director, Academic Services); Mr. Osahon Igbinoba (Director, PRS); Alh. Adamu Misau (Director, Finance & Accounts); Mr. Paul Agi (Director, Admin & Supplies); Mr. Hashimu Ojah (Director, NSSF) and; Mrs Lydia Gbagyi (Desk Officer, Sports).
BY KUNLE SOLAJA, Arnhem, Netherlands.
Undoubtedly, the Greatest Of All Time (GOAT) coach in Nigeria, Clemens Westerhof, has a coaching credential that no coach in Nigeria either before his tenure or since 30 years ago that he left, has been able to match.
He did not only qualify Nigeria for the World Cup for the first time, he is the only coach that took the national team to the podium thrice at the Africa Cup of Nation – winning in 1994 and making the first runners-up position in 1990 and third place in 1992.
At the peak of his career in Nigeria, he took the Super Eagles to their topmost height of fifth ranked in the world. Little wonder, his squad is being figuratively referred to as the ‘Golden Generation’ of the Nigeria national team.
Last month marked two milestones of his 1,787-day tenure in the Super Eagles.
First, 15 August marked the 35th anniversary of his being signed on by Nigeria and 27 August was the 35th anniversary of his debut.
Sports Village Square travelled by air, speed train – the Nederlandse Spoorwegen (Dutch Sprinter train) and the German Deutsche Bahn, to get to Arnhem, which is just 20 minute drive to Germany to get the now 84-year old football tactician who now lives quietly in his home town.
This book on Super Eagles is a delight to read, says Westerhof
In the course of narrating his tour of duty in Nigeria, he opened up on how he got the job, his relationship with football officials, the footballers, his trials and travails, his joy and sadness as well as how he introduced the concept of official kits to the Nigerian national team.
He spoke of how he discovered local talents and moulded the raw gold materials to 18-carat special metals. Westerhof spoke about the Nigerian players that he groomed and the relationship they still have with him.
Who is this man who is always passionately following all the football leagues of the world as his face is always glued to the television set.
His wife, Lillian remarked Westerhof followed, almost with religious devotion, the Africa Cup of Nations 2023 in which Nigeria got to the final against the hosts, Cote d’Ivoire.
Even Westerhof’s wife displayed an uncanny knowledge of Nigerian football, mentioning names and giving details.
She said she once considered taking courses in football coaching as she has a husband who will add value to her.
One may wish to know Westerhof in detail. He gave his full name which many may not have known. Clemens Johannes Hendrikus Westerhof tells his story to Sports Village Square, the way he never did to any other medium before now. Details later.
Former Super Eagles and Enyimba of Aba goalkeeper Dele Aiyenugba has been co- opted to serve as a resource person at the coaches training program at the National Institute for Sports (NIS).
The programme is a collaborative venture of both the NIS and the Lagos State Football Association.
The training programme will start on 14 September 14th and run every Saturday for a month in the first module.
Aiyenugba, who last played for the Nigeria national team on 8 October 2011 in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match that ended 2-2 with Guinea, is a product of the NIS.
He is expected to bring his wealth of experience to bear on the participants.
Aiyenugba will be speaking on Goalkeeping techniques, Goalkeeping training and Goalkeeping safety.
Over 2,000 coaches in Lagos State are expected to be trained over a two year period.
With the Lagos State FA Chairman Gafar Liameed affirming that NIS certification is now compulsory for any coach that want to ply their trade in Lagos State.
NIS Director General, Professor Olawale Moronkola is expected to declare the training opened.
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