Abuja tennis club on rescue mission..As old and young players keep courts busy

However, when the country was to host the 33rd edition of the Africa Junior Tennis Championship in 2010, there was need for more courts to be provided. Therefore, the then minister of sports and president of Tennis Federation, Engineer Sani Ndanusa awarded contract for additional courts to be constructed. As a result, the Abuja National […]

However, when the country was to host the 33rd edition of the Africa Junior Tennis Championship in 2010, there was need for more courts to be provided. Therefore, the then minister of sports and president of Tennis Federation, Engineer Sani Ndanusa awarded contract for additional courts to be constructed.

As a result, the Abuja National Stadium presently boasts of more than fifteen standard playing courts. Unfortunately, there are hardly enough competitions to keep the courts busy. The good news however is that all that has changed with the coming of the Abuja veterans tennis club which has taken it upon itself to make judicious use of the huge resources which the government expended on providing the facilities.

It is for this reasons that every evening, especially during the weekends, former tennis players converge on the court to play the game of tennis and also network when and where necessary. Aside searching for physical fitness, the veterans are also thinking of evolving ways to help develop the game of tennis in the FCT and the country at large.

Even as the courts are many, none is left idle as the veterans normally come along with their children to watch them play and also take turns to practice for the purpose of catching them young. With all these happening on daily basis, the courts have come alive and the game of tennis in the FCT is on a steady rise.

The co-ordinator of Abuja Veterans Club, Pa Baba Yusuf said the club came into full existence in 2010 with the support of the former minister of sports, Engineer Sani Ndanusa. He said the objective is for the members to keep fit and also contribute to the development of the game in the FCT and Nigeria at large.

He said with other 300 members fully registered, the Abuja veterans club is planning to fashion out a programme that would help in discovering and developing young talents in the sport. “Our aim is to contribute to the growth of tennis not just in the FCT but the country as a whole. For instance, if there is any tournament which we can support in terms of sponsorship, we won’t hesitate.

“Even active players are members of this club. We organize age by age competitions so as to keep our members busy. It is not just for veterans. What we have in place at the moment is a care-taker committee but very soon we shall be having elections to elect substantive EXCO”.

Mr. Ugochukwu Mbanaso said he was a member of a tennis club in Lagos club and when he moved over to Abuja, he joined the Abuja veterans club to continue to keep fit and to contribute his quota to the development of the game in the territory.

“I have the tendency to grow fat but the game has kept me in good shape. I am 53 years but I don’t look it. Therefore I always find time to come and play and also associate positively with other members too. There is nothing as good as friendship. I play at least three times a week.

“The facilities here have been provided by government at a huge cost and must be put to good use and this is what we have been doing. In addition, we are contributing to the growth of the game because we have coaches here who attend to our young children”.

On his part, Mr. Godwin Kenechukwu said he has been a tennis player all his life and when he moved into Abuja and saw the tennis courts provided by government, he could not resist the urge to join the club.

“I have been a tennis player since my secondary school days. When I came over to Abuja, naturally I wanted to join the tennis club. When I came and saw the facilities here, I said to myself this is good.

“Playing as a veteran provides me with physical fitness, good health and mental alertness. There is a lot to be gained by playing the game regularly. In addition, we are contributing to the development of tennis in the FCT because as you can see, we always come along with our children. This is one sure way to developing their interest in the game. In the near future, a champion would emerge from here because the boys who pick balls for us also play”.

He called for more assistance from government in the area of floodlights to enable them play even in the night since most of them have very busy schedules in the day time.

Mr. Kazeem Idowu Kazeem believes tennis is part of his life and he cannot quit since it is already in his system. “Playing tennis is a great exercise and it helps us to build stronger relationships. Tennis in Abuja as you can see now is attracting both the young and old. There is more awareness”.

He said what is left now is for officials of the club to sit together and fashion out a grand plan for development of the sport in the FCT and Nigeria at large. “What we need to do now is to have a grand plan that would assist elevate the game of tennis. It is one thing to enjoy playing the game and another thing to help in developing it. If we have good programmes, I believe tennis is one other sport where Nigeria can win a lot of laurels”.

Kazeem said Nigeria tennis is on a steady decline because of lack of youth development programmes. “We can’t say that Nigeria tennis is developing. Tennis in Nigeria ended in the early 80’s with players like Nduka Odizor. Ever since then, we have not been able to produce such great players. How then can we say we have developed in tennis?, he asked rhetorically.