Sports can’t develop without grassroots tourneys – Gagariga

A member of the executive committee of the Nigeria Volleyball Federation, Major General Taritimiye Gagariga, has said that sports in Nigeria can only develop, if there are grassroots tournaments. He stated this at the end of the three day Kontagora Volleyball Challenge tournament which was held at the Nigerian Army Cantonment, Kontagora in Niger State. […]

A member of the executive committee of the Nigeria Volleyball Federation, Major General Taritimiye Gagariga, has said that sports in Nigeria can only develop, if there are grassroots tournaments.

He stated this at the end of the three day Kontagora Volleyball Challenge tournament which was held at the Nigerian Army Cantonment, Kontagora in Niger State.

According to him, the tournament was organized to ensure that youths who are yet to have the opportunity to compete at the state or national level would have an avenue to play the game in their various localities.

“I am passionate about the growth of volleyball at the lowest level which is the grassroots. No sporting nation can excel without the continuous production of players at the grassroots level.

“All the elite players you see today did not just become star players. They started at the grassroots and this is why my focus is the continued organization of local competitions where new talents are discovered.

“Everyone cannot play in the Nigeria Volleyball Premier League or National Division 1 League. So we commenced the grassroots competition in Nigerian Army School of Artillery Kachia in September 2018,” he said.