Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Bukola Olopade, has commended the players and officials of the national female netball team, the Green Hawks, after securing a convincing 33-12 victory over Pakistan in Hatfield, England.
The Green Hawks, against the Pakistanis, demonstrated remarkable improvement, confidence and teamwork, signalling a bright future for Nigerian netball.
Olopade, who was on the ground to watch the match, said the display by the girls has clearly justified Nigeria’s decision to establish the team and promised to provide every support for the team to excel.
He said, “That was amazing. I saw good camaraderie amongst you girls that convinced me that our decision to build a team and build netball in Nigeria was the right one. You are going to be part of something big. We are ready to dominate Africa and will provide all the support you need.”
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Head coach, Alison Akinrinlola, who has spent several years identifying talented British-Nigerian netball players and advocating for the establishment of a Nigerian national team, said the progress made within such a short period has been exceptional.
Akinrinlola, working alongside former Jamaica national coach, Connie Francis and supported by Dr Yinka Idowu and Ms Trish Adudu, brought together talented Nigerian players based across the UK and prepared them through an intensive training programme ahead of their international debut.
She said: “We had only had a few training sessions against one of the world’s top teams. We gave them a run for their money and it showed what we had achieved in just a few weeks.”
A major breakthrough came when Mentoring Commandant Ambassador Alistair of TECD Foundation facilitated discussions with the NSC DG, which culminated in the formal establishment of the national team to work with the newly appointed President of the Nigeria Netball Federation, Dr Esther Aluko, to accelerate the development of the sport in the country.
Aluko described the emergence of the Green Hawks as the beginning of a new era for Nigerian netball, expressing confidence that the Federation would continue to build pathways for talented athletes at home and across the diaspora while establishing Nigeria among Africa’s leading netball nations.
The initiative was further strengthened through the commitment of the Nigeria Diaspora Sports Development network, led by Dr Tunde Adelakun, whose committee played a central role in coordinating the athletes and supporting the national team project.
Adelakun praised the players’ commitment and belief, saying, “The level of commitment, passion and dedication shown by these girls has been remarkable. It demonstrates what can be achieved when Nigeria embraces the talents of its diaspora. With continued support, this project can produce medals, trophies and help build a stronger sporting culture for our country.”
The Green Hawks are the product of years of vision, persistence and collaboration between stakeholders in Nigeria and the United Kingdom. The team’s next challenge comes against Jamaica, one of the world’s leading netball nations, as preparations continue towards qualification for the African Games and 2027 Netball World Cup in Sydney.
