Sports
Coach Makes Case For Local B’Ball Players
Head coach, First Deep Water Basketball Club, Lateef
Erinfolami, has urged the authorities to
look inwards for the selection of players to represent the country in
international competitions.
Erinfolami
made the remark during an interview with the Tidesports in Lagos, as his
team commenced preparation for the new season.
“We
need the authorities to give due consideration to home-based professional
players when they are selecting players for the national team,’’ he said.
Erinfolami
commended the opportunity given to the country’s home-based footballers in the
Super Eagles squad that is currently in South Africa for the on-going AFCON
tournament.
He
added that the gesture would encourage other players to work hard, in
anticipation of an invitation to the national squad in the nearest future.
“There
are players who can make the country proud if only they are allowed to show
what they have.
“The
dependence on foreign professionals for our international engagements will
continue to hinder the growth of the game at home.
“When
you take a look at Steven Keshi’s AFCON squad, some home based players were
part of the team.
“Therefore,
such an arrangement should be available for basketball, especially female
basketball that needs to grow in the country.
“We
have to give our local players the chance to grow; by this we encourage true
patriotism which is the foundation of true champions,’’ he said.
Erinfolami
who commented on his team’s expectations in the forthcoming season said that it
would strive to retain the Zenith Bank Women’s Basketball League title.
“We
have already commenced our training ahead of the upcoming season and we are
hopeful of another good outing.
“All
hands are on deck for us to ensure that we retain the title that we have
continuously won in the last three seasons.
“However,
this year, we are looking forward to conquering the continent. This is our
major objective,’’ he added.
Hon Dike who spoke with sports journalists shortly after the flag off the 2024 edition of Chairman’s Football Unity Tournament at Botem Tai in Tai LGA, said the tournament is an annual event to promote peace and unity in Tai as well identify budding talents in the area for global competition.
The opening ceremony of the tournament was more like a carnival was witnessed by huge crowd including prominent indigenes of Ogoni Kingdom, sports lovers and people from all works of life.
The LGA boss revealed that special sports committee will be setup in the area to work out modalities to strengthen sports development in Tai.
He advised the participants in the tournament from various wards in the LGA to play the game by the rules and conduct themselves in a peaceful and orderly manner and use the opportunity to showcase their talents.
Hon Dike further disclosed that his administration will also give priority attention to skills development among the youth to enhance their human capacity and promote enterprise development in the area.
Earlier in his address the Chairman of Tai LGA Football Council, Elder Wisdom Gorgor said the annual football competition has been a unifying factor in Tai LGA that need to be sustained to forge more unity and development in the area.
He urged the participants to see the competition as an opportunity to embrace football as a full career and earn sustainable livelihood.
Elder Gorgor who commended the Chairman of Tai LGA, Hon Dike for his visionary leadership and tremendous development achievements recorded in the LGA under his administration, appealled to the Chairman to build a Mini Sports Stadium in the area to promote sporting activities.
The training was held at the Sani Abacha Stadium Indoor Basketball Court in Kano last Saturday.
According to the Vice President and Head of NBA Nigeria, Gbemisola Abudu, the event was part of the league’s commitment to growing broader basketball ecosystem in Nigeria and making the game more accessible across the country.
“Our first Jr. NBA clinic in Kano speaks to our commitment to growing the game in Nigeria and creating more opportunities for boys and girls to learn and play the game,” Abudu said.
“Nigeria has a rich basketball history and abundance of talent, which is evident every time you watch an NBA game. We look forward to continuing to engage with basketball stakeholders, business leaders and members of the community to further the game’s reach and impact on young people around the country,” she added.
The 2024 basketball initiative clinics of NBA Nigeria also included the league’s inaugural Jr. NBA elite camp for 150 boys and age-16 girls held at the American International School in Lagos in July.
Others include the NBA’s building of 1,000 courts in Africa over the next decade, Nigeria’s Festival Coins and Salubata named the top two winning businesses at NBA Africa Triple-Double Accelerator’s inaugural Demo Day in New York City held last September, and the third edition of “NBA Meets Art,” a curated installation celebrating basketball through the lens of Nigerian art and culture as part of West Africa’s premier art fair Art X Lagos, held in November.
Central to this vision is the federation’s investment in capacity building, evident in the just-concluded one-week Level 1 Badminton World Federation (BWF) Coaching Course, which marked a significant milestone for Nigerian badminton.
Held in Abuja, the course brought together 13 young coaches from across Nigeria. The last time such a course was held in the country was in 2017, making this a historic and transformative step.
The training was facilitated by the Badminton Confederation of Africa (BCA) in partnership with the Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN) and conducted by Dr. Ahmed Radah, the BCA Development Manager.
Radah, impressed by the talent he witnessed, praised Nigeria’s potential.
“Nigeria is blessed with immense talent and a strong badminton tradition. I believe this country has what it takes to dominate on the global stage,” he remarked.
