Excitements, Joy, As First Batch Of 100 Grassroots Coaches Complete Specialised Training Course At NIS
By Akeem Busari
Football History was made Saturday in Lagos, as the first batch of 100 grassroots football coaches graduated as certified coaches from the National Institute For Sports (NIS), in the specialised one-month training course facilitated by Lagos State Football Association and inconjunction with Africa’s leading sports training centre, the NIS.
Speaking during the epochal event, Professor Olawale Moronkola, the Director-General/ CEO of National Institute For Sports, congratulated the graduands for a successful completion of the special training course, even as he remarked that the event marks a significant milestone, not only for the NIS, but also for the Lagos State Football Association and, indeed, for the future of grassroots football in Nigeria.
Moronkola said, “This initiative was born out of the pressing need to address the challenge of unqualified coaches and the widespread presence of quackery in our football system.”
He went ahead to express his gratitude to Lagos FA for its unwavering support and collaboration on the initiative.
“Your commitment to developing grassroots football is commendable, and together, we can continue to build a robust framework that supports the growth of the sport at all levels,” he enthused.
Chairman of Lagos FA, Hajji Gafar Liameed was very elated over the successful conclusion of the pilot batch of the training course.
He described it as a momentous feat, that would go ahead to help the establishment of a properly structured and sustainable football ecosystem in Lagos State.
Gafar enthused confidently that the LSFA plans to train over 5,000 grassroots football coaches in four years,adding that the rippling effects would be of great benefits to Lagos State and of course, Nigeria football, in general.
