Odigie, a junior CAF instructor and FIFA Educator made the disclosure while speaking with newsmen at the sideline during a feild session of the Berackiah/Abigol Football Coaching Clinic in Asaba.

“Berackiah/Abigol coaching clinic is a very good initiative and this is the ideal thing for football development,” the coach said.

He noted that the clinic which aligns with FIFA’s policy thrust at constantly improving football will help build the capacity of Nigerian coaches which will morphome into a beautiful display of football artistry.

He urged the coaches to have an ambition and follow it passionately against all the odds noting that they must keep being a professional with the hope that things will change for good.

“First and foremost we have to get it right organisationally. We should have a good structure where every now and then clinics are being organized like this and when they are made available at grassroots, coaches will be able to train talented footballers,” the former Bayelsa coach said.

Odigie who last worked with Bendel Insurance of Benin during their last spell in NPFL said he left the club to pursue further education in coaching.

Participants of the clinic also had the opportunity to learn from the tactician with his logical and intellectual reviews and analysis.

Berackiah/Abigol Football Coaching clinic has recorded another huge success as 74 coaches from South-South and South-East part of the country received their certificate of attendance after a 5-day intensive coaching training.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the clinic which held at the Delta State Football Secretariat (known as Patrick Okpomo Football House), Harrison Ocholor who represented the State Government at the event lauded the organizers for the initiative which he said will have positive impact on Nigeria football.

The clinic which featured education on all contents of the game offered a rare opportunity for grassroots coaches to learn the art of the game from the revered former Super Eagles Coach and retired FIFA/CAF instructor, High Chief Onigbinde.

It was another edge for the participants of the programme as the former Super Eagles Coach and current Technical Director of the NFF, Coach Austin Eguavoen repleted the delivery with his experience and loads of insightful lectures.

Also availing all the participants from the 11 states of South-East and South-South more knowledge about the dynamics of the game were the Mathew Olorunleke, Roberto Bassi and Marco Gian who had all came from Italy.

Stressing the importance of coaching education, Monday Odigie the former Bendel Insurance gaffer and a junior CAF instructor urged all the participants not to allow the situation of the country affect their aspirations adding that they should up their game to be in tune with the global best practices.

The train of the clinic has landed in Awka, Anambra atate where 30 coaches will be receiving another round of education on football from all the resource persons between 5th-6th of February.

Lafia, the capital of Nassarawa State will be next on the card to play host to the coaching clinic for the North-Central from Monday 8th- Friday 12th of February.

No fewer than 30 football coaches in Anambra State are to benefit from the good gesture of Mr Patrick Okeke, the President of Aspire Football Club and Academy following his decision to attract the moving train of Berackiah/Abigol Football Coaching Clinic to the State.

According to the CEO Berackiah International, Wonders N. Nwigwe, the Aspire Chief decision to identify with the programme and sponsor 30 coaches was inspired as a result of what he described as shared resolve of developing the capacity of Nigerian coaches as one of the way to achieve a sustainable growth in football development.

Recall the clinic which is currently making wave at the moment, had a successful outing in South-West Zone of the country with it’s train currently in Asaba, capital city of Delta State for South South and South East Zones.

In his own remarks, the Aspire FC boss said hi decision to sponsor the coaches was motivated by his club age long commitment at developing football from the grassroots while prioritizing the role of coaches and adding value to the round leather game.

“Aspire FC is sponsoring the coaching clinic in Anambra State as part of our commitment to human capital development, the statement reads in part.

While noting that the future of Nigeria Football lies in the grassroots, he added that Aspire FC recognizes the need for the coaches in grassroots to have the technical competencies in order to identify and develop skills of the future stars who will make the country proud – a target which the clinic has also set out to achieve.

He believes that “Berackiah/Abigol coaching clinic offers the right mix of theoretical and practical learning experience for our coaches at the grassroots” thus an opportunity to strike the balance.

The Anambra clinic has now been scheduled to hold from Friday 5th – Sunday 7th of February.
While reacting to the development, the co-facilitator of the clinic and CEO of Abigol Football Management, coach Matthew Olorunleke commended the Aspire President for deeming it fit to sponsor the coaches, a gesture which he said will bear a positive impact on football in the state and Nigeria as a whole.

Aspire Football Club is a Nationwide League One (NLO) team and are the current Anambra  FA Champions.
In the past, Aspire FC has invested in several other talent development projects such as the Aspire Egwu Ogene Contest of 2020 and the Adazi-Ani Fest of 2020 which are geared towards highlighting the synergy between music and football as well as the socio-economic impact of both activities.

The train of the clinic is expected to move from Anambra on Sunday, 7th February to Lafia in Nasarawa State on Monday for the North Central Zone.

We have made constructive efforts at providing you with  all the bit  that made the lot of the just concluded South West Zone phase of the Berackiah/Abigol Football Coaching Clinic.

Featuring about 12 sessions of training which includes Theory and Practical, the clinic provided a great opportunity for Nigerian Coaches to learn, re-learn and un-learn football concepts of various ideology.

Gian Marco as a Goalkeeper Trainee is one of the resource person from Italy. He was able to share his knowledge with Nigerian Coaches on the fundamentals of coaching and getting the best out of goalkeepers.

Speaking to Berackiah/Abigol Media Team at the sideline of the event he said:

“I feel honored to be here and I want to thank all the people who have worked to make this project happen and make it possible for me to come”

Marco believes he is just privileged to impact on the coaches and not  a ‘teacher’ who wants to teach what has not been taught before.

“What I want to do is to exchange my knowledge with the locals. I have found very   prepared coaches in this course and so I am finding my self comfortable. So it’s just a first step and every journey begins with a step and we are to start.

Marco spoke highly of Nigerian Coaches for keeping the passion alive despite the myriad of socio-economic challenges and difficulties they have got to deal with.

“I admire their passion because in Europe where I came from ,we have plenty of infrastructure which are lacking here in Africa and despite that they didn’t quit and they are working in situation that we in Europe can’t even imagine,if we find such a situation with the lack of materials, infrastructure,most of the people in Europe would  have quit”.

“I am not teaching anything it is a win to win project,I learn something they learn something we are exchanging Knowledge so I am feeling better with that Marco said.

From NLO to NPFL : Marco has a dream

“I want this project to reach the top most especially as we are starting with the lower tier of the league,we want to reach the second tier and the top division of the league and even all over Africa.

Roberto Bassi is another resource person who have taken the participants through the dynamism of the game .

He said in his words: “I am very happy to be here.

The last few days we have spent, the level of Nigerian Coaches concentration to the programme is good and they are willing to learn so I hope this programme will in the future be a point of reckoning”

Mathew Olorunleke is the CEO of Abigol Football Management and a co – facilitator of the clinic. As one of the brain behind the project, he believes the potential of Nigerian Coaches will help them scale the height coupled with what the clinic has offered.

“It is not easy this is the first time, we are trying to cope to make it better and I must say from what I have seen, the Coaches are able to learn and are trying to cope as well.

Bridging the Gap and hopes

For Mathew, there is always the need to do more. He expressed the need to bridge the gap between talents and those who tend to develop them.

If Nigeria can have one of the expensive players in the market and we have players that are doing well in Europe, It will be very wrong to say Nigeria Coaches are not good. For us, we have discovered the missing link and now keen to bridge the gap.

He argued that if Nigeria players are doing well in abroad,that means Nigerian Coaches are good just that there is need to keep developing themselves in tune with what is obtainable in the advanced world.

Coach Siji Lagunju is the Assistant Director of Training and Development at the NFF and as veteran Coach himself, he preached  the significance for Coaches to develop themselves taking in to cognisance the principles of intellectuality, technicality, tactically , medically and physically.

High Chief Festus Adegboye Onigbinde was the cynosure of all eyes at the 5-day clinic.

An ‘encyclopedia many will call him. The CAF/FIFA instructor urged all the participants to be inquisitive, impactful and be selfless in the course of their duty saying that integrity is another integral part of the job.

While noting the parallels between football administrators and coaches, the octogenarian appealed to all the participants not to lose focus and continue to do their best for the country adding that there must be unity of purpose in their ranks across the country.

116 coaches who attended the coaching clinic have now been given their certificates with the hope that the effects of their new acquired knowledge will bear positive impact on Nigeria football.

The clinic train will now move to South South and South East Zone where schedules will be held from 1st-5th of February in Asaba, Delta State.

The North Central and North East Zone programme will also holds in Lafia, Nasarawa State from 8th-12th February.

Nigeria Football Association (NFF) says the country’s youth football will get to greater heights as our local coaches will tap in from the expertise shared at the football coaching clinic organised by Berackiah International and Abigol Football Management.

The Clinic which has been Integrated by the Nationwide League One (NLO) and aim to train, educate and develop Nigeria Coaches commenced at the Otunba Dipo Dina International Stadium in Ijebu-Ode,Ogun State.

Chairman Ogun State Football Association and NFF Executive Committee Member, Alhaji Ganiyu Majekodunmi who spoke on behalf of NFF First Vice-President Barrister Seyi and Chairman Nationwide League One, Alhaji Mohammed Alkali, pointed out the importance of the coaching clinic while stressing that gaining more knowledge should be paramount on the minds of the participants.

According to Majekodunmi: “We are very proud to have partnered with Nigeria Football Coaches Association and Berackiah/Abigol on this coaching clinic. The clinic is very good for Nigeria’s football. The NLO as a body is very committed to improving the league and as such will go the extra mile to ensuring capacity-building events like this holds regularly with support from Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Technical Department.

“The coaching clinic will be on technical football session to facilitate knowledge for our local coaches and to develop the quality of the Nationwide League One. We are confident that this will significantly improve the technical expertise of our local coaches.

“The clinic will equip our football coaches with the tactical knowledge and skills needed to succeed in the game and improve the overall quality of the Nationwide League One. I’m proud to say that the course content is very rich and encompassing and the resource persons are top notch from Italy and local content will be handled by Nigerian best instructors.

“Youth development is the future of football. We are committed to developing capacity at the grassroots level, with the Berackiah/Abigol Coaching Clinic, we’ll get the desired results. We will continue to collaborate with our partners, in ways to develop our football and our league.”

The clinic was boosted with the arrival of UEFA accredited top Italian football coaches, Roberto Bassi, Gian Marco Duina and Nigeria’s Matthew Olorunleke, who are the foreign resource persons while the local content will be handled by Nigeria’s best instructors, Chief Adegboyega Onigbinde, Siji Olagunju.

The Berackiah/Abigol Coaching Clinic is scheduled to hold across the country as thus; South West Zone began in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State from 25-29th of January.

South South and South East Zone holds in Asaba, Delta State from 1st-5th of February.

North Central and North East Zone holds in Lafia, Nasarawa State from 8th-12th February.

Top Italian football coaches, Roberto Bassi, Gian Marco Duina and Matthew Olorunleke, have arrived Nigeria ahead of the Bereckiah / Abigol coaching clinic which is set to commence on Monday, 25th of January 2021.

The coaching clinic which is aimed at improving Nigerians coaches at the grassroots level for critical impact on football development in the country, will kick start in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun state on the 25th January 2021 through to the 31st of March 2021 and will last for the duration of one week each in various zones across the country thus: North Central (Abuja); North East (Bauchi); North West (Kaduna); South East (Enugu); South South (Uyo); South West (Sagamu).

Speaking to press on arrival, Mr Matthew Olorunleke who is a coach as well as one of the resource persons for the clinic, thanked the Nigeria Football Federation President (NFF) Mr, Melvin Amaju Pinnick and the entire board of the country apex football body for believing and endorsing the programme.

“I want say a big thank you to the President of the Nigerian Football Federation for endorsing this program, the secretary Dr. Sanusi, technical directors, Alhaji Mohammed Aikali, Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau because when we came to the president last year, we explained our plans, our goals and what we want to bring to the country, they embrace it and immediately and gave us a go ahead.

“They supported us to see that we do this and I must thank the NLO board for their support as well, it a thing we have been doing abroad for the past years now, and we decided to bring it to Nigeria.

South West Zone holds in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State from 25-29th of January.

South South and South East Zone holds in Asaba, Delta State from 1st-5th of February.

North Central and North East Zone holds in Lafia, Nassarawa State from 8th-12th February.

North West Zone holds in Kano, Kano State from 16th to 20th February.

Yet another groundbreaking event as the organisers of the Berackiah/Abigol Football Coaching Clinic signed a memorandum of understanding with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Nationwide League One (NLO) and Nigeria Football Coaches Association (NFCA).

Earlier, the Executive Board of NFF had approved the coaching clinic in one of its Congress having identified with the aims and objectives of the organisers.

According to the MOU signed on Tuesday 12th of January at the NFF’s Sunday Dakoro House, the parties are expected to work together for a period of five years while organising similar programmes.

Berackiah Football Coaching Clinic is an initiative aimed at building and improving the capacity of grassroots football coaches in Nigeria.

The strategic working relationship binded by the MOU will see all the parties working towards the proper implementation of the project.

The president of NFCA, Ladan Bosso and Technical Director of NFF, Augustine Eguavon signed the agreement on behalf of their respective body.

Others who signed the agreement are Olorunleke Abraham, Managing Director of Abigol Football Management and Elder N.C.I Oyuonye of Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) who are all partnering with project.

Wonder N. Wigwe, the CEO of Berackiah International while speaking with journalist said the partnership will go along way in achieving the crux of the project.

The clinic which will commence very soon have been billed for  two venues each in all the geo-political zones across the country.

Sequel to the agreement, the management of NLO has however directed all the clubs in the league from Division one to three to participate in the coaching clinic billed for January to 25th – 20th of February.

It further recommended that three (3) coaches from each team are expected to register for the clinic noting it as one of its requirements for allowing team’s participation in the upcoming season.

Stressing the importance of coaches capacity in driving the league, the management said it will not take anything less from club Managers as regards qualifications.

A sum amount of #20,000 is expected to be paid by each participant as registration fee to the Berackiah designated account number.

Locations, Dates and venues for the clinic.

South West Zone holds in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State from 25-29th of January.

South South and South East Zone holds in Asaba, Delta State from 1st-5th of February.

North Central and North East Zone holds in Lafia, Nassarawa State from 8th-12th February.

North West Zone holds in Kano, Kano State from 16th to 20th February.

Nigeria Football Coaches Association (NFCA) under the leadership of Coach Issa Ladan Bosso has sealed partnership with the organizers of Berackiah/Abigol Football Coaching Clinic in order to train its members.

The President of the NFCA, Ladan Bosso in a letter dated 7th of January, 2021 charged all his members to identify with the coaching course which had received the approval of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

He stated that the Association has set up a workable mechanism with the organizers of the programme in a bid to train coaches across the country.

“I write to inform all Football Coaches in Nigeria especially those at the grassroots level that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has granted approval to Berachiah/Abigol to organize the forthcoming Football Coaching Course which you already know about”, his statement reads in part.

The President who also doubles as the Head Coach of the Nigeria Flying Eagles said the organizers will work with all the stakeholders with a view to properly mobilize potential participants for the capacity building project.

“They have been instructed to work with the National Working Committee of NFCA, the Six Zonal Coordinators and particularly the 36 States/FCT Chairmen of the Football Coaches Association”, he stated.

He urged all the members to be part of forthcoming coaching education which has also secured partnership with critical and strategic organisations like the Nationwide League One (NLO) and Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON).

Reacting to the development, the CEO of Berackiah International, Wonders Nwigwe commended the NFCA President for his support and cooperation in increasing the capacity of Nigerian Coaches.

Mr. Nwigwe assured the helmsman that the project which would attract resource persons within and outside the country will offer the best of technical and practical knowledge to all the participants who will in turn impact their players.

The clinic which is expected to take off very soon will hold at designated venues in all geopolitical zones of the country.

Speaking on the development, the CEO of Berackiah International, Mr Wonders N. Nwigwe said the choice of the ex international was borne out of his passion for football development.

Nwigwe who commended the striker for identifying with the project, expressed optimism that the programme will chart a new course for football development in the country.

“We are very pleased to make Obinna the ambassador of the project. He’s an inspiration to the younger generation and having served the country in the past with all his ability, we can’t but bring him on board now that we also want to expand the horizon of football through our coaching clinic”, the sport administrator said.

Meanwhile, Mr Rasheed Ola Saraki the chief admin officer of the programme made it known that the clinic has been scheduled to hold from December 2020 to January 2021. The clinic aimed at equipping grassroots coaches in the country with the basis and basics of the dug-out business with the aims of building their capacity as they tend to developing talents.

Also, the clinic in partnership with the Nationwide League One (NLO) has been endorsed by the Nigeria Football Federation, with a view to enhance football development at the grassroots level.

The coaching seminar will hold in all geo-political zone of the federation with one location in each zone- namely, Sagamu, Ogun State, Uyo, Akwa Ibom state, Enugu, Enugu state, Bauchi in Bauchi state, Kaduna in Kaduna state and Abuja, the federal capital territory

Signed:
Comrade Owolabi Aleshinloye
For Management

Mr Mathew Olohunleke, CEO Abigol Football management and Agency is expected to fly into the country in preparation for the Berackiah Football Coaching clinic coming up later this year.

The maiden edition of the coaching clinic is centred on the importance of sports activities in promoting unity and harmony in the country.

The programme will be drawing football coaches across all the 774 local governments in Nigeria.

The CEO Berackiah international, Mr Nwigwe Wonders Nduka appreciates the Abigol boss for coming down to the country amid the difficult time of Covid-19 pandemic.

He described him as a patriot whose love and passion for his fatherland and the development of grassroots football is second to none.

Mr Mathew Olohunleke during his visit will be meeting with the leadership of the NFF, Chairman Nationwide League One, Allhaji Mohammed Alkali, President of Nigeria Football Coaches Association
(NFCA) coach Ladan Bosso,  Alhaji Abba Yola, President Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) and other notable football stakeholders.

Signed: Comrade Owolabi Aleshinloye for;
Berackiah Coaching Clinic