All is set for the Ilaji Hotels and Sports Resort Scouting and Coaching programme to go down from Saturday 1st of May through Friday 7th.

According to the organisers, the initiative was borne out of the corporate vision in nurturing football talents to the stardom and in fulfillment of its contractual agreement with Malaga CF of Spain.

The twin-packed project will be centered around scouting excercise for talented footballers and coaching clinic for coaches who want to give their careers a giant leap.

Malaga CF Academy Head Coach Martinez Trueba Marcus Antonio and Diego Martin; a FIFA certified football agent are expected to oversee the 7-day event.

While Monday 3rd of May to Tuesday 4th has been set aside for the Coaching Education Programme, the scouting programme has been scheduled to come up between Wednesday May 5th and Thursday 6th at Ilaji Hotels and Resort, Akanran, Ibadan, Oyo State.

Other notable instructors billed for the event are the former Super Eagles Coach; Chief Adegboye Onigbinde, ex- internationals like, Nduka Ugbade, Mutiu Adepoju and Gateway United Gaffer, Akeem Busari.

A sum amount of N10,500 is expected to be paid by interested players to register for the programme while intending coaches are to pay N20,000 as their commitment fee.

According to the organiser feeding and accommodation will be made free for the coaches for the two days, while accommodation alone will be free for players for the two screening days.

It’s instructive to know that Ilaji Hotels and Resort will be responsible for sponsorship of successful players and will also be providing certificate of participation for coaches.

Participants have been advised to pay into this Bank Account:6669682012 of First City Monument Bank with the name Ilaji Hotels and Sports Resort.

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.

Asaba in Delta State is the next station for the moving train of the ongoing Berackiah/Abigol Coaching Clinic as coaches across the eleven states of the South East and South South parts of Nigeria converged to feed their inquisitiveness from the 5-days event.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the clinic which held at the Delta State FA Secretariat in Asaba on Monday, the Technical Director of the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, Augustine Eguavoen commended the organizers of the clinic for the project which he said will help get the extra best of the coaches.

Stressing the significance of coaches to football development, the former Enyimba FC gaffer believed the project will bring the best out of Nigeria coaches considering the calibre of the resource persons giving the fact that the future of the game lies with them.

Eguavoen, who has one time coached Super Eagles further assured participants that the NFF will work assidously to create more job opportunities for “majority of the coaches” in the pressing need to achieve sustainability of football growth in the country.

In his remarks, Azu Azuka who represented the Chairman of Delta FA said the state recognizes the importance of continuous training of coaches thus its decision to play host to the programme where capacity of its coaches can be brought in tune with the latest trend of dugout out business.

Mathew Olorunleke, the co-facilitator of the clinic pointed out that the clinic was aimed at balancing the strength, energy and passion of Nigerian coaches with necessary education.

One of the Italian resource persons, Marco Gian who will be taking the coaches through the fundamentals and rudiments of goalkeeping said they are not in the country to teach the coaches but to share their knowledge in order to create a win-win situation that will see to the growth of football in Africa.

“At the end of this workshop, we will have passed the ball to you all (coaches) and it will be your duty to fulfil our dreams, Marco quipped.

The coaches after the opening ceremony were able to receive the first session of the clinic (The Game) as taken by High Chief Adegboye Onigbinde, the former Super Eagles Coach and a retired FIFA/CAF instructor.

‘Baba’ as he is fondly called walked the participants through the history of the most followed sport in the world while expressing optimism that the coaches will bear a positive impact on football in the country while restoring the old glory.

The programme continues on Tuesday with another round of sessions which aims to bequeath the coaches with the dynamics of the game.

Recall that the South West zone of the clinic was rounded up in Ijebu-Ode on Friday 29th of January as 116 coaches get their certificate of participation.

The train of the programme will hit Lafia in Nassarawa State for the North Central and North East zone from 8th-12th of February.