TEXAS ACADEMY FC TAKES ON ROYAL FC IN OPENING MATCH OF 2019 BET9JA ROYAL CUP
OGHENETEJIRI NYERHOVWO
Texas Academy Football Club of Asaba would trade tackles with Royal Football Club also of Asaba in the opening game of the 2019 Bet9ja Royal Cup on Saturday, September 14, 2019.
This was the result of the draws that took place in Wellington Hotel, Effurun near Warri at the end of a capacity building workshop for coaches.
The opening match which will kick off at 3.00pm will be played at the Government Model School football pitch, Asaba, Delta state.
In an interview before the draws, Coach Henry Abiodun, National Training Officer, Nigeria Football Coaches Association, NFCA, who doubles as Director of Coaching Education, Football Coaches Association of Africa Nations(FCAAN)who delivered lecture on, “Advanced Training Programme(ATP) & System of Training enjoined coaches to continually avail themselves to learning new methodologies in the profession of coaching football.
According to Coach Abiodun, “coaches must continue to learn, they must understand that knowledge is power, so whenever they find the opportunity and platform where they can increase their knowledge, they should make sure they take advantage to use such opportunity to their advantage. My candid advise is that whenever these opportunities such as seminars, workshops and coaching courses comes up, coaches should grab it because the game continue to change, different challenges comes up and if you don’t update your knowledge then you are left out”
“Coach Abiodun added, “we face numerous challenges, but among them is how do I get a job. Not every coach will have a job at the premier level, not every coach will have job at the National level, but see yourselves as a teacher, we have teachers that are not employed by government, but because you are teacher you can teach kids in Home schools, Home Lessons and you still get paid.”
In his comments, Mr. Eddie Oseri Ogbemudia, a Licensee Football Intermediary, Executive Director, Myron Topclass Sports Outfits, atop most football agency described the coaching profession as a job with a lot of earnings, if proper structure and documentation are put in place.
He described football to be a major business that is not solely about running on the pitch, but also entails huge financial gains.
According to Mr. Ogbemudia,”we have dishonest persons in this business, they tend to be very fast in order to make money for themselves to the detriment of others. I have met a lot of them and the coaches also have their own side of the story, so for me there is need to build trust in these players so they can in return have confidence in them(coaches),so when anything comes up they will be carried along”
He added, “there are lots of persons that wants to reap where they did not sow. You see these players, they will be in a team that discovered them at a very tender age to their present age, and somebody from nowhere will just come and cajole them into signing funny contracts, we have a lot of players abandoned in the Europe, Asian countries with nothing to write home about.”
Mr. Ogbemudia harped on the need to always key into the numerous opportunities that the social media offers, adding, “social media is increasingly important in raising a player’s and club profile. Not only can this have impact on the commercial opportunities open to him during his career but it also enables better engagement with fans, the player’s ability to champion social causes that are important to him and critically can provide a source of income and open doors after retirement.”
END
