BY SUNDAY AKINTOYE
Lagos State Female Football Development Committee in conjunction with Lagos State Football Association, LSFA has targeted 300 female footballers for one day mentorship/ Training Programme for Females In Sport scheduled for Saturday at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena popularly known as Onikan Stadium.
The much anticipated programme would start from 9am and run through 5pm.No fewer than 300 female footballers who are within the age bracket of 7 to 15 years are expected to participate from various five Football Divisions in the state.
Speaking at the press conference held on Wednesday at the LSFA conference room, chairperson of the Lagos State Female Football Development Committee,Mrs Raliat Anako Abdulsalam emphasised the importance of the event and disclosed that the participants would be exposed to the modern day football, and they would be mentored and tutored by the qualified and certified coaches.
She said the event would also create a room room for interaction between the participants and other football stakeholders who would witness the event.
Abdusalam who is passionate about female football further said it is not only round leather game the participants would involve, they would be taught about financial literacy and other aspects of sports throughout the one day progrmme.
“The event is a platform where our girls are expected to showcase their God given talents.We want to catch them young and give them the right platform to express themselves.Our Theme is ‘IT, S TIME FOR GIRLS’ This Theme indicates what the girls should expect from us.
“We are not only concentrating on playing football alone, we also want to expose our girls to other sports of their interest.Not all of them would show interest in football and those who are interested in other sports, we would give them chance to express themselves,”she said.
Speaking in the same vein, vice chairman of LSFA, Adedotun Coker expressed confidence that the event would achieve its set targets and urged the participants to give their best throughout the programme.
He said female football is growing fast all over the world and Nigeria should not be left out in the developmental programme in line with the FIFA female football.
In his own comment, Badagry DFA chairman, Dr Martins Osondu also thanked the commiittee for this initiative and promised that his division is committed to female football in the state.
He however tasked the organisers to live up to expections and ensure that all the participants are well taken care of and monitor their activities throughout the event.
He described the event an avenue where Lagos can discover future talents and groom them for future national female competitions.
While other board members of LSFA, committee members and partners who attended the conference applauded the committe for the one day mentorship and training programme and promised to give their support to ensure that the programme records huge success.
