The Nigeria School Sports Federation (NSSF) and the Ogun State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) on Wednesday strengthened their collaboration to boost grassroots sports development, with particular focus on school-based football talent identification.
Sports247 reports that the programme held in Abeokuta, NSSF President Olabisi Joseph said the partnership aims to systematically discover and nurture young footballers within the school system rather than depending on irregular competitions.
“Football is the most popular sport among our children, yet many gifted players remain unnoticed because there is no organised structure to find and develop them early,” Joseph said. “Working with SUBEB allows us to make talent identification a regular part of school sports so that inter-house events and physical education classes become platforms for spotting future stars.”
The SUBEB chairman welcomed the initiative, stressing that sports form an important part of basic education. He noted that the emphasis on football would not undermine academic performance, adding that developing grassroots football through schools remains one of the most reliable ways to produce talent for the state and the nation.
Participants, including physical education teachers and games masters from public primary and junior secondary schools, took part in practical sessions involving age-appropriate football drills and basic technical assessments.
Officials also discussed plans for a simple register of identified talents that can be shared with relevant football development bodies.
Stakeholders at the event described the gathering as a timely step toward building a stronger pipeline of young footballers from the classroom to higher levels of the game.
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