Former Super Eagles defender, captain and head coach, Augustine Eguavoen has come out with a firm declaration that there is a growing need to equip trainers at various grassroots levels across Nigeria with modern technical ideas in the game.
Sports247 reports that Eguavoen, who is now the technical director of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), pointed out that proper development of players must begin at the community level, hence his emphasis on updated training methods for coaches in that sector.
Eguavoen, who was fondly called ‘Cerezo’ during his playing days, gave his verdict while speaking during an ongoing CAF D-Licence Coaching Course in Ogun State, which has 40 grassroots trainers in attendance.
The ex-international, who was part of Nigeria’s 1994 Africa Cup of Nations winning team and first squad to the FIFA World Cup at USA ’94, was physically present to oversee the smooth running of the course at Agro Terra Resort in Joga-Orile, Yewa North Local Government Area.
The defender-turned-gaffer pointed out that the course was out together with a view to further strengthen discovery of talents, the foundation of football development and empowerment of grassroots coaches across Ogun State.
He added that the D-Licence course, which is organised by the NFF, in conjunction with Ogun State Football Association (OGSFA) and their coaches association, was designed to equip participants with theoretical knowledge and practical coaching skills required for CAF certification.
Eguavoen also stressed the need to make coaching education more accessible to grassroots coaches, as professional training methods are required in the task of grooming young talents from scratch, towards cementing hope in better results for the country through future international engagements.
He declared emphatically, “Coach education is fundamental to football development. We cannot expect to improve the quality of our players without also improving the quality of those who train them.
“Grassroots coaches need access to the right knowledge, modern coaching methods and professional certification to help them perform their roles more effectively. That’s why you must remain committed to continuous learning.
“The knowledge that you gain from all the coaching courses you attend should translate into better training methods, improved player development and higher standards across the game.”
Sports247 gathered further that NFF’s head of coaching education, Dr Terry Oguaje as well as retired FIFA referee, Alhaji F.A. Yusuf and veteran coach, Fatai Akande are the course’s lead facilitators.
