The organisers of Nigeria’s largest and most prestigious grassroots football showpiece, the Prosperity Cup in Bayelsa State, are putting a weeklong coaching clinic together to update and sharpen the technical abilities of coaches participating in this year’s edition of the competition.
The coaching clinic, which will be conducted by seasoned football experts, begins on Monday, 3rd to 7th of March, 2025, at the NUJ Press Centre, Ekeki, Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital.
Disclosing this to newsmen in Yenagoa, the Director General of the Prosperity Cup Central Organizing Committee, Mr. Ono Akpe, explained that the event, which is the first of two coaching clinics that will hold in the course of this year’s football fiesta, will have fifty coaches in attendance.
He explained that the team of resource persons for the coaching clinic will be led by NFF Technical Director, Augustine Eguavoen.
Also expected to participate as a resource person are the chairman of the Nigerian Coaches Association and Bayelsa United coach, Ladan Bosso, ex-International, Edema Fuludu, Ibrahim Gwadabe, and Fatai Adejumo.
“The essence of the coaching clinic is because we want Bayelsans and football enthusiasts generally to watch quality games. We intend to holistically develop the game in the state. At the end of the day, we would have broadened the knowledge of persons who are passionately imparting skills and technical know-how at the grassroots level.”
“What we are doing is not just for today, but for the future. You can imagine the ripple effects this would have on the game across the state in the coming years,” Akpe stated.
The DG stated that the governor’s dream was to see how to empower Bayelsans by enhancing their technical and tactical skills to be able to impart the right knowledge and attitude to young Bayelsans who are desirous of having careers in soccer. It is equally intended to put Bayelsa in a sound footing to dominate sports in Nigeria, which forms an integral part of the Assured Prosperity agenda.
He maintained that beyond trophies and prize monies, the state’s helmsman is committed to the development of grassroots coaches in the state.
According to him, the coaching clinic is a preparatory workshop for the coaches in Bayelsa State and also to tune them up for the NFF D Coaching licence, which leads to the CAF B-License coaching course, a four-month programme aimed at enhancing the capacity of the Nigerian coaches.
The DG pointed out that the course is part of the NFF’s strategic effort to build the capacity of the country’s football tacticians.
Mr. Akpe believes that, with a coaching clinic preceding the preliminaries of the Governor’s Cup, Bayelsans will watch quality football and appreciate the game better.
He stated that a second coaching clinic, where participants would be awarded certificates, would be held after the grand finale of the competition.
The Prosperity Cup DG urged the various grassroots coaches to make use of the opportunity by attending the coaching clinic, saying that the essence of the exercise is to enable Bayelsa coaches to embrace modern coaching ethics in line with global standards.
Mr. Akpe equally appreciated the Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, the deputy governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, and the commissioner for sports development, Dr. Daniel Igali, for prioritizing grassroots football in the state.
He called on youths in the state to desist from negative vices that are capable of destroying their lives and take advantage of the various programmes of the prosperity cup to showcase their talents.
