Team Nigeria International has concluded plans to partner with primary and secondary school s in Lagos through the “FUTSTAR” Youth League kicking off soon under the SportEdu+ Project.
The grassroots football development project is aimed at providing a platform for young, talented and aspiring footballers to enable them to realise their potentials through Football and Education.
According to the Chief Executive Officer of @Team Nigeria International, David Doherty, the initiative was born out of the desire to produce Nigerian footballers who are technically, emotionally and psychologically ready to compete at the world stage.
Speaking in Lagos at the weekend, Doherty said, “the youth league will have participants drawn from core grassroots academies and football teams of selected schools between age 8 and 17.”
Despite the initial plan to start the from Lagos, the long term goal of the FUTSTAR Youth League is to have the program run simultaneously across the 36 states in Nigeria.
On how the initiative will be driven, Doherty explained that interested academies will have to be financially committed to ensure that the league is treated with maximum seriousness.
Doherty said that, “The organizer will set a player sponsorship scheme which will allow parents, football administrators and corporate Nigerians with necessary financial muscle to adopt and sponsor kids through football and educational scholarships.”
Apart from the Youth League, the SportEdu+ Project which is divided into 3 phases will also provide an avenue for others interested in coaching and other aspects of football management.
The First year will focus on teaching participants basic football skills while year 2 and 3 will involve in-class training and opportunities to gain coaching qualifications and diversify through acquired skills by English Football Association certified coaches.
