Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF) president, Victor Ochei, has unveiled plans to develop and boost Nigerian youths’ interest in the game as well as drive nationwide participation in the sport.
Ochei, who outlined the new board’s vision for transforming tennis in Nigeria through innovative reforms and long-term development strategies, said one of the key initiatives is the creation of a central registration platform for tennis players across the country.
According to him, under the system, every registered player will be assigned a unique identification number to help build a comprehensive national database and improve access to clubs and competitions.
“We want every registered tennis player to have a player’s number. This will help us build a comprehensive compendium and also make it easier for players to access tennis clubs and competitions nationwide,” Ochei, a former Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, said.
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Speaking on his years of involvement in sports development, the NTF president noted that as a lawmaker, he invested heavily in youth empowerment through sporting programmes, including sponsorship for wheelchair basketball athletes.
According to him, he personally funded athletes and teams to participate in international competitions in countries such as Algeria, South Africa, Germany and Brazil, helping Nigerian talents gain global exposure.
He further revealed that he established a stadium and sports development centre to discover, nurture and train young athletes to professional standards.
Ochei announced that the Federation is developing a 10-year Strategic Tennis Growth Plan (STGP) covering 2026 to 2036. The programme, he said, will focus on talent discovery and player development in age categories of 4–8, 8–12, 12–16 and 16–18 years, with special attention on primary and secondary schools nationwide.
He added, “Our target is to catch them young, build their interest early and create a sustainable pipeline of champions who will represent Nigeria with pride.”
