By Jahrock Ujewe,
Aba Warriors will trade tackles with Okpulu Football Club in the opening game of the Bet9ja Abia State Super League football tournament in Abia State on Tuesday, November 12, 2019, as the two Aba-based sides will begin the quest for bragging rights in the competition formally.
The 1st edition of the Bet9ja Abia State Super League, which is a grassroot soccer competition, will have about 64 clubs taking part in the competition across the state who will be participating for free without paying any registration fee, the first of its kind in Abia State.
Speaking during the opening remarks Onyedikachi Okoro a bet9ja Master Super Agent commended the coaches for the good job they have been in doing in grassroot football development in Abia State.
“I grew up in Aba and I know we have talented footballers in the state, in the history of Nigeria football all the cadre of football teams from U17 to the Super Eagles usually have a player who is from Abia State, but for sometime now the story is not the same. Our company bet9ja is using this competition as a medium to give back to the society”
Speaking exclusively with members of the press on the sideline before the draws were held, the competition Chief Consultant Mr. Eddie Iseri Ogbemudia of Myron Topclass Sport Outfits, commended the bet9ja Agents in Abia State who are the organisers of the competition, for their contribution to the development of football across the entire state and also availing grassroot coaches platform to improve their knowledge by organising seminars for the coaches.
“Coaches 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 rush down to grab it”
“Seminars, workshop like this, coaches courses, they should rush there because the game continue to change, the game imposes different challenges and if you don’t update your knowledge then you are left out”
Also speaking at the seminars Mr. Ejikeme Ikwunze, popularly known as Mr. Football who is the former Chairman of Abia Warriors, and SA to the Governor of Abia State, encouraged the coaches to be focus and design programs that we improve the players.
“In coaching we have two different types of coaches. The one that are without jobs and those waiting to be sacked”
Also speaking on a topic titled a guide to choosing an intermediary the Chief Consultant of the competition, Eddie Ogbemudia of Myron Topclass Sport Outfits, described the coaching profession as a job with a lot of earnings, if proper structure and documentation is in place.
He further pointed out football that football is a big brisk business that is not solely about running on the pitch, but also involves huge financial rewards.
“We have dishonest persons in this business,” he stated. “They tend to be very fast in order to make money for themselves on the detriment of others.”
“There are a lot of persons that wants reap where they never sowed. 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, so we need to build a level of trust so you(coaches) so that have honest person around you.”
Mr Eddie Iseri Ogbemudia, an NFF Licensed intermediary further presented a paper on training compensation and solidarity mechanism, charged grassroot football club coaches to take proper documentation of their players seriously, saying this would spare them stress of legal tussles and other attendant issues.
Also present at the event are Executive Board members of the Abia State Football association led by the Chairman Sir. E.C. Chukwuemaka who encourage the coaches to be abreast with the current rules of the game.
“This competition which is backed by the FA will have official FA badged referees who recently attended refresher courses in Abuja and Saguma will officiating these games and you are aware some of the rules has been changed, you need to be abreast so that you will not contest genuine calls ignorantly”
Mr. Patrick Ngwaogu, Kelvin Ejeh also made presentation on Match Reading and football tactics respectively.
