FIFA visit and regional technical centres

The two officials, Messrs Francesco Bruscoli and Sampon Kablan actually arrived on Monday evening and work started in earnest the following day with meetings and briefings and deliberations on the proposed Goal Project and FIFA courses in administration, refereeing, management and coaching that are available for us to tap into within the remaining part of […]

The two officials, Messrs Francesco Bruscoli and Sampon Kablan actually arrived on Monday evening and work started in earnest the following day with meetings and briefings and deliberations on the proposed Goal Project and FIFA courses in administration, refereeing, management and coaching that are available for us to tap into within the remaining part of the year and next.
To refresh our memory, the Goal Project 1, which was the construction of a National Technical Centre (situated at the Package B of the National Stadium, Abuja) was completed sometimes in 2009, with an extension done to the facility by the NFF sometimes in 2010.
Also close to the National Technical Centre is a FIFA Football Turf (synthetic pitch) which was donated to Nigeria by FIFA as part of the Win-In-Africa-With-Africa project woven around the first FIFA World Cup finals on African soil – South Africa 2010.
Without any gainsaying, the National Technical Centre and the synthetic turf have been very useful to the Nigeria Football Federation, as all our National Teams, from Super Eagles to U-13 boys, have made good use of the facility at one time or the other.
The hostel has hosted players screeing for places in the U-17 National Team, Golden Eaglets, and has served even athletes in other sports. The Federation has also been able to use the conference rooms for workshops, seminars and symposia, as well as presss conferences of a diverse nature.
At a private session, I made the officials realise that the importance of Regional Technical Centres can never be over-emphasised. The centres in the regions would serve the States and adjoining States in a similar way that the National Technical Centre and the synthetic pitch has served the various National Teams.
The plan, really, is to have the Regional Technical Centres in all the regions in the country, but we are starting with Bauchi, Lagos and Anambra in the first phase, and land has been secured in both Bauchi and Anambra States, already.
Bruscoli and Kablan were, of course, impressed with the vision of the Nigeria Football Federation to provide critical infrastructure for the development of the game in the country, with Bruscoli wanting to know more, and being told, about grassroots programmes and the workings of  the Football Associations in the 36 States of the Federation and the FCT.
Infrastructure is of a critical nature to development, and that is why we insist that despite the efforts being made by the different States to provide some sort of infrastructure, the NFF can spearhead the provision, through FIFA, of centres that shall prove very useful in the years to come.
While the States and adjoining cities and States will benefit, so also will the Nigeria Football Federation. Our various National Teams are always busy, and camping centres are stretched thin with the Federation always running cap-in-hand to sports-loving States governments to bail us out.
An impressed Bruscoli talked a lot about the ‘international standing of Nigeria football’, pointing at the plethora of National Teams and the country’s readiness to participate in all FIFA competitions. It is one of the reasons why FIFA takes Nigeria seriously and always desirous of encouraging Nigeria football whichever way they can.
Apart from the Super Eagles, we have the U-23 boys (also known as Dream Team); the U-20 boys (known as Flying Eagles); the U-17 boys (Golden Eaglets); the Senior Women Team (Super Falcons); the U-20 girls (Falconets); the U-17 girls (Flamingoes); Beach Soccer Team and the U-13 boys. Lest I forget, we also have the Super Eagles Team B, that has just qualified to participate in the African Nations Championship, for the first time ever.
Bruscoli and Kablan were impressed with the Sunday Dankaro Football House, our new headquarters, where Bruscoli stated that the place was more like it for the home of Nigeria Football Federation, considering our international standing. The officials were delighted with the elegance of the facility and the fact that there are enough offices in a serene environment conducive for the serious business of football management.
The duo equally praised the NFF for maintaining the National Technical Centre and the artificial turf nearby, in a great way. Of course, the turf is always busy, with National Teams or even the All-Stars regular users, and we have been able to keep it in very good shape.
Both men commended the spirit and tenacity of the present NFF administration, looking back at the previous years of political unease as a result of meaningless litigations that distracted the present Board in the first 18 months or thereabout.
They noted the progress that has followed the period of peace and focus, and wished the stability would remain for several years or forever so that FIFA can work together with Nigeria to accelerate the development of infrastructure and human capital.
Continuity, of course, is a key issue in administration and this does not exclude our dear country. Global bodies and establishments prefer to deal with regular faces who understand them and whom they understand and can relate with, for a long period.
The FIFA officials have returned to their various stations but the NFF will continue the hard work to provide the necessary facilitation that will ensure early start and completion of the Regional Technical Centre in Bauchi, to be followed next year by start of work on the construction of the other centres in Lagos and Anambra States, in this first phase.
NEXT WEEK: Looking Back At The Last Three Years (1)