BY SUNDAY AKINTOYE
Chairman Lagos State Football Association (LSFA), Olawale Liammed Gafar has announced that only football coaches in the state who have NIS coaching certificate would be issued certificate of licensed Coach by the association.
Gafar disclosed this during the interactive session with football coaches who passed through NIS and received their certificate of licensed Coach issued by the state football ruling body which held yesterday afternoon at the LSFA secretariat, Surulere.
Speaking at the gathering, Gafar explained the new development of football coaching in the state and stressed the need for the football coaches to go back to NIS and get required certificate before they can be licensed by LSFA in the state.
“Majority of us (coaches) have NIS coaching certificate but we are not certified or licensed by LSFA.The state FA would not operate football like before.Today (Sunday ) we have licensed more than 50 football coaches.These are the coaches who have their NIS coaching certificate and other additional educational qualifications.
“If you know that you have NIS coaching certificate, come to LSFA secretariat and we would tell you how to get your licensed coaching certificate.Our target is that in the next one year, we want to lincense more than 200 football coaches,he said.
Asked what of coaches who cannot read and write but they are doing well in the coaching job, Gafar quickly said the Lagos FA has partnered with Nigeria Institute For Sports NIS to have a special programmme for those coahes who fall under the category.
“It is part of the reason we partnered with NIS to organise a special three months programmme for our coaches who cannot read or write.We all know that some of these coaches who called ‘coachito’ or coachilala’ are good in practical but we find the way to accommodate them and get our licensed coaching certificate.
“Like i said only coaches who passed through NIS or want to enrol to our three months special coaching programme would receive the LSFA coach license.For those who are interested in this special coaching progrmme, the candidates are expected to pay the sum of N25,000 to LSFA account and come to our secretariat for further details,”he said.
Gafar however emphasised on the importance of the licensed coach.He said the LSFA need to know their coaches and their coaches need to know them.
He explained that licensed coaches would be benefited from LSFA future programmes pointed out that the association has many programmes that would be of benefits to the licensed coaches.
“Time has come to empower our licensed football coaches.We have thousands of coaches in the state but we need to assist our licensed coaches in area of capacity building, refresher courses, trianing and retraining programmes, seminars and workshops.So if you are not a licensed coach, how would you benefits from our progrmmes,”Gafar asked.
In his own comment, Registrar NIS, Belmond Benson expressed delight with the partnership with LSFA.He said the special programme initiative would help the coaches to go back to school and get required knowledge.
He advised the coaches who are yet to enrol to NIS for coaching course to do so noting that the future of football coaches is bright for NIS certified and licensed coaches in the state.
