Community Sports Development Initiatives in conjunction with Edo State Sports Commission Thursday, commenced a two-day training of one hundred Physical and Health Education Secondary School teachers across the State on the basics of Netball.
The two day seminar which is being staged at the Media Centre of the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium Benin City, has coach Urhobojerwe Odiri Patience, Kingsley Bayo, and others as resource persons, and the event is expected to come to an end Friday, with presentation of certificates of participation to the participants.
Addressing the participants, the head of the Community Sports Development Initiatives CSDI, Coach Edema Fuludu, said he was happy with the turnout for the historic event, noting that the two day seminar provides the opportunity for the participants to know the rudiments of Netball.
According to him: “We are indeed very happy today, and I want to thank the Chairman of Edo State Sports Commission Olympian Yusuf Alli, for collaborating with Community Sports Development Initiatives CSDI, to teach our sports men and women, saddled with the responsibility of coaching our young boys and and girls in various secondary schools in Edo State.”
“The participants here today are teachers, and we organized the two-day seminar to teach them the rudiment of Netball, so that they can go back to their various schools to coach their students on the rules of the game and how to play the game.”
“We want our girls to learn and benefit from the game of Netball. We know that girls from other African countries are playing this game and benefiting from it. Countries like Malawi, Lesetho, Zimbabwe,South Africa are benefiting greatly from the Netball as a game.
Highlighting the benefits of the game of netball, coach Edema, a former Super Eagles player, said, “there are opportunities for scholarships through playing this game for girls.You also know that Netball is a game played at the Commonwealth Games and the Olympics Games.”
“Again our girls can play this game in England, Australia, Canada among other countries. Players of Netball are paid heavily in these countries. So, if we are able to train these girls and they excel in the game they can earn a living through Netball.
” Netball is played at the World Cup level too. So this seminar is very important to us. This seminar is basically on training the trainers. When we are done with them,they will go back to their various schools to train players too.”
“We have a project till 2027. This is going to be a continuous thing, we started this programme two years ago, we have trained physical education teachers in many States and the training will go round the States in Nigeria, but for now our focus is on Niger-
Delta States. Our aim is to make Netball an acceptable game in Nigeria Sports calendar,” Fuludu explained.
