Cowbell Academy Partners Vitesse Arnhem FC of Holland to Train 400 Nigerian Coaches

Godwin Dudu-Orumen, Rector,Cowbell Football Academy, Barrister Seyi Akinwumi, Chairman Lagos Football Association, Harrald Stelder, Dutch coach and Sylvester Okonkwo, Proprietor of Soya, an Holland-based NGO at the on-going training of 60 coaches and 400 youth footballers by Dutch youth football coaches at the National Stadium Surulere Lagos on Monday.

Cowbell Football Academy (CFA) and Soya, a Holland-based non-governmental organisation under the umbrella of Free-Kicks have entered into partnership with Vitesse Arnhem FC of Holland to train about 400 coaches in Nigeria in the next three years.

Vitesse Arnhem FC is a Dutch Division 1 Club which is currently topping the league in Holland.

Mr. Godwin Dudu-Orumen, the Rector of the CFA disclosed this in Lagos yesterday at the National Institute of Sports at the on-going training of 60 coaches and 400 youth footballers by Dutch youth football coaches under the free-kicks initiative.

Dudu-Orumen said the partnership is coming on the heels of the realisation that poor coaching is a major problem of Nigerian football.

“Nigerian football needs a revolution and that revolution we have decided to take on with CFA. We have identified poor coaching as a major problem of football in Nigeria. We want to train 400 coaches in the next three years who will in turn train about 6,000 footballers across the country,” Dudu-Orumen said.

He said they invited 10 coaches out of the 60 coaches participating in the current training from outside Lagos while 50 are from clubs within Lagos, adding that these coaches will expand the vision and every year, we will have upgrade for them.

The rector explained that the trained coaches would thereafter bring their experiences to bear on 400 footballers in two pitches: National Institute of Sports football pitch and the main bowl football pitch.

Dudu-Orumen further explained that four teams: BRF Football Academy, CFA, Team Pepsi and Team Academy Proprietors would compete in the Eko Junior Quadrangular Invitational Tournament in round robin, adding that the team with more points will emerge as the winner. Every win is three points and every draw is one point.

Earlier in an address of welcome, Barrister Seyi Akinwumi, chairman Lagos State Football Association had enjoined the coaches that “Without you, there are no footballers, but your skills are not where they are supposed to be. Unfortunately, we have not articulated proper training programme. It’s not for profit but for your benefit.

He said the Dutch coaches are not here by accident but it is a result of painstaking exercise. In the good old days, we have the style of play that is what football is all about. We are here because we want to support the programme. It is an issue that has come to stay, pay attention to it, it’s important.

We need to rally round any coach who is picked for an assignment. If we must take benefit from Lagos State, we must work together. Ask questions, these guys are experience d and are already there.

Mr. Sylvester Okonkwo, a member of the board of trustees of Free-Kicks as well as the proprietor of Soya, an Holland based NGO committed to youth football development in Nigeria and driven by Mr. Sylvester Okonkwo, a member of the board of Free-kickswho facilitated the trip of the Dutch coaches also said they come up with this project to address the problem Nigerian football is facing.

He encouraged the Nigerian coaches to ask questions when the need arise because the Dutch coaches are amiable gentlemen.
“You have an important role to play in Nigerian football because you interfaced with the footballers directly.”