Why Nigeria must go back to grassroots sports- Coach Odey

In a chat with Trustsports, Odey predicted more difficult times for the country in international sporting events if those administering sports in Nigeria continue to pay lip service to grassroots sports. “Those countries that are doing very well in football, athletics and other sports have over the years  invested heavily in grassroots  sports, because they […]

In a chat with Trustsports, Odey predicted more difficult times for the country in international sporting events if those administering sports in Nigeria continue to pay lip service to grassroots sports.

“Those countries that are doing very well in football, athletics and other sports have over the years  invested heavily in grassroots  sports, because they believe that that is where talents can be discovered and nurtured to stardom.

“We have neglected that area for a very long time now, making it difficult for us to compete favourable with some countries that are not as humanly and materially endowed as we are. We focus our attention more solely on winning laurels, not on developing talents.

“Today, some small countries like Niger can dare us in football, because they are doing what we have refused to do. How can we achieve success when we always gather athletes who have almost passed their prime for competitions? How can we succeed when we still rely on Premier League players to compete at the U-17 tournaments?” former NPA handler quarried.

Odey maintained that some of the well known athletes of yesteryears were products of grassroots sports, saying “Athletes like Stephen Keshi, Henry Nwosu, Thompson Oliha, Mary Onyeali-Omogbemi and Ezenwa brother were discovered from the grassroots and that was why their time in the national colours was memorable.”

Also contributing, former Super Eagles midfielder, Thompson Oliha, said the death of principal cup, school sports festivals and others have contributed greatly to the poor state of sports in the country.

“In my own days, I was sported by a coach when I was in secondary school and from there I started playing for Bendel Insurance of Benin. But these days, it is very difficult to find players playing for a club side from secondary schools. The facilities are no longer there for students to discover their hidden talents.

“This country should not be worrying about good athletes that can bring glory to it. But so far we continue to neglect developmental initiatives of discovering athletes at their formative years, then the string of poor results our athletes bring home from international tournaments will continue,” he said.