Categories: Nigerian Sports

Sporting activities can thrive through enabling environment — Ex-Super Eagles star, Fuludu

Former Super Eagles player and member of the winning 1994 African Cup of Nations and certified Netball coach Edema Fuludu, has said that average Nigerian kids tend to thrive in sporting activities by providing an enabling environment.

Fuludu who stated this during a two-day netball Workshop organised by two sports Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) Community Sports and Education Development and Blitzik Sports advised stakeholders to collaborate with the government to bring out the best in the budding talents.

He said NGOs, stakeholders and government should always come together to brainstorm and suggest ideas that would help develop sports in the country.

Fuludu said that the two-day netball Workshop was part of the NGO’s effort to promote the right for Nigerian kids especially girl-child to play netball and further spread the awareness of one million Nigerian school girls before the end of 2027.

He commended the organisers of the workshop which is the first of its kind in the history of Ondo state, saying the workshop witnessed theory and practical sessions which centered majorly on safeguarding, basic skills of netball, rules and regulations.

Fuludu, however, expressed happiness over the turnout and said that the game of netball can grow speedily in the country

The two organisers said the workshop has been organising training for Netball coaches and Secondary Schools Physical Health Education Teachers in the state.

Speaking to the director, Blitzik Sports and a sports journalist, Isaac Afolabi said the collaboration between the two sports NGOs was to further encourage school proprietors and parents to encourage their wards to mix education with sports and make available in their plans to have sporting equipment and facility in their schools.

Afolabi who has also been organising sporting events, especially in basketball in the state and southwestern part of Nigeria appreciated CSED for the collaboration.

He stressed that such would keep the students and other talents busy and also divert their minds from negative thoughts into a meaningful venture.

He said no fewer than 36 coaches, and 28 Secondary Schools Physical Health Education Teachers in the state participated in the training.

The General Manager of Ondo State Sports Council, Mr Henry Babatunde, represented by the director of coaching Mr Sunday Fagite commended the organisers for the initiative saying such is needed by true lovers of grassroots sports to encourage talents in the country.

Also speaking a director in the Ministry of Education Science and Technology, Mr Jide Fawolu thanked the organisers and charged the teachers to make good use of the equipment given to them freely at their different schools.

At the end of the event netball training kits/equipment which includes two netball rims and net, two netballs, two different sets of netball bibs for the players, and two packs of finger-held whistles were freely distributed to the attendees by the event organisers.

Some of the schools trained include Fiwasaye Girls School, CAC Grammar School, Ijapo High School, Adu Memorial, Mimshach School Ijapo, and Preston International College, among others.

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