Over 500 talented football playing teenagers stormed First Bank Field, Satellite Town, Lagos on Friday in search of scholarships to study up to university level in the United States of America.
The gathering also drew together many stakeholders and ex-players in the vast grassroots football sector of Surulele, Ojo, Okoko, Ikotun, Olodi Apapa areas and many others, as they used the opportunity to hobnob and pick up long lost relations.
The programme was made possible by a young Nigerian former footballer, Machael David (Omasaro), who said he wants to put something back into the community that produced him, hence his efforts through a USA-based non-governmental organisation, Angels of The World to take the venture to Lagos.
Facilitator of the programme, Tim Vom Steeg, who is the soccer head coach of University of California, Santa Barbara, USA, said he was surprised with the large turnout of youngsters, as he had been expecting only about 60 for the three-day event.
He then quickly went about the process of cutting down the numbers, starting with separating those in senior secondary school and those who might have passed out a year or two ago from those who are of younger ages.
The well-travelled and resourceful coach, who disclosed that he is visiting Nigeria for the first time, explained further that the three-day line up of activities will involve trails for students who would get opportunities of going straight to universities in America, as well as for those that will form the core of a new football academy that will be floated in the area.
He, however, stopped short of putting a figure on the number of kids that would eventually be granted scholarships through the programme, but assured all coaches, team managers, school teachers and parents present that their coming will not be in vain.
Vom Steeg added: “We are looking for only the best of these young boys. We want those who can play good football and are equally good at their academics. It will not be enough to see a good player here who cannot pass the basic tests that will be given after this programme.
“I know there are some tests students go through in Nigeria before they can gain admission into the university, and the same applies in America. Machael has his programme for the kids as well, and I am here because I want to pick talents that can pass through the USA school system.
“We expected to see 60 boys, but we have a crowd, so we have to start reducing the number. But, we have two and a half days to work here. We will be able to get things done as we want, after which we will try to keep in touch and communicate to see how many of them will be good enough for a two-year academic programme or four-year programme in our universities.”
