Forty grassroots football coaches on Thursday converged on Agro Terra Resort, Joga-Orile, Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State, for a CAF D Licence Coaching Course.
The course, organised by the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, in collaboration with the Ogun State Football Association, OGSFA, and the Nigeria Football Coaches Association, NFCA, Ogun State chapter, is aimed at raising coaching standards and strengthening grassroots football development.
Declaring the programme open, Ogun State FA Chairman, Ganiyu Majekodunmi, urged participants to improve their competence and contribute to the growth of football at the grassroots.
He said the future of Nigerian football depends largely on the quality of coaches working at grassroots level where talents are discovered and nurtured.
“Grassroots football is the foundation upon which the future of our game is built. If we want to produce better players and achieve sustainable development, we must invest in the knowledge and capacity of our coaches,” Majekodunmi said.
The Technical Director of the NFF, Augustine Eguavoen, stressed the need to bridge the gap in coaching education by making professional training accessible to grassroots coaches.
“Coach education is fundamental to football development. We cannot expect to improve the quality of our players without also improving the quality of those who train them,” Eguavoen said.
Also speaking, Chairman of the NFCA, Ogun State chapter, Victor Damilola Agbagu, commended the Ogun FA for facilitating coaching education programmes.
He said two major coaching milestones had been achieved within six months of his emergence as chairman.
“In just six months of my being chairman, we requested an NIS course, and now we have a CAF course. I am glad that both have been achieved,” Agbagu said.
The Head of Coaching Education at the NFF, Terry Oguaje, retired FIFA referee, F.A. Yusuf, and Coach Fatai Akande are among the facilitators of the course.
