BY SUNDAY AKINTOYE
The newly appointed Technical Director of Crown Football Club of Ogbomosho, Oyo State, Fatai Akande, has disclosed that he is ready to give his best in Ogbomosho based club in the upcoming season of the Nigeria National League, NNL.
Akande who was unveiled on Tuesday in Ibadan as a New Technical Director of the NNL club told our correspondent on telephone interview that his target in the new club was to build, compete and win.
“I am now at Crown FC as a Technical Director for three things.firstly to build, compete and win.What do I mean is to build a solid team that would make people of Ogbomosho proud of me.I also want to compete for the NPFL title and ensure that we win as many as more matches in our league campaigns,” he said.
Akande revealed that the club would resume on August 20th,2026 and begin open trials for new recruitment ahead of pre season tournament and league proper.
The Ogbomosho born football coach said he is currently in Ogbomosho Town to assess the match venue and training ground and familiar with the management staff and fans ahead of new season.
Meanwhile Akande is a native of Oyo State, comes into the role with vast experience in grassroots football and team building. Until his appointment, he served as the National Coordinator of the Football Coaches Association of African Nations, FCAAN, the largest assemblage of coaches on the continent.
Popularly regarded as a “promotion genius”, Akande has a proven track record of taking clubs up the ladder. He successfully guided three different clubs to promotion, including leading Ijebu United to the NNL within three years.
He has also previously featured as a player for both Shooting Stars Sports Club, 3SC, and Crown FC before moving abroad.
Akande holds a degree in Electrical Electronics from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, LAUTECH. He is a CAF B License holder, FCAAN B certified, and also possesses an FA Learning Coaching Certificate. In addition, he has a Certificate in Sports Medicine from the Olympic Committee and several other coaching qualifications.
At the recent unveiling, the Commissioner for Sports Wasilat Adegoke said the government was bringing Akande back home to consolidate on the club’s history and drive the promotion agenda.
She noted that football is now a big business and expressed hope that the new Technical Director will help explore the commercial side of the game so that government can also benefit from its huge investment in sports.
In his response, Akande thanked the Commissioner and the Oyo State Government for the trust reposed in him and promised to build on past achievements and work toward taking Crown FC back to the elite division.
With pre-season preparations underway, all eyes will be on Akande to inject fresh energy, discipline and direction into the Ajilete Warriors as they chase NPFL promotion.