American Football, which became known to the Northern Nigerian public through the Ahmadu Bello University’s team, is now grooming young kids to become future players. The initiative that is now being coordinated by the American Football for African Mission (AFFAM) has brought together about 450 young boys and girls from different parts of Zaria.
Most of these youngsters were drawn from schools around Zaria, as well as those that are out of school roaming the street.
According to Coach Amadi Chukwuemeka Innocent, who doubles as AFFAM founder and ABU’s American Football team coach, the kids’ training initiative intends to use the game of American Football to curve poverty, illiteracy and violence.
He explained that the programme is being run under the banner of Youths American Football League, which is presently going on at the Zaria Polo club. Innocent said the exercise is the first of its kind not only in Nigeria but West Africa.
He added; “I see football as a great sport that inculcates in our youths the brotherhood to stick together as one indivisible team to fight our common enemies; which are poverty, lack of adequate formal education, diseases, terrorism, organised crime and corruption. Faced by the present day fight to keep the nation together, football instils in every player the fighting spirit never to back down in the wake of challenges. We shall keep moving until peace reigns.
“We want to use this platform to educate our youths on their civic duties, to be patriotic and to shun violence while instilling in them leadership qualities as well as making them great followers.”
Innocent said although American Football is new in Nigeria, but the youth championship that features kids of between 9 and 14 years could make the game popular. He said the league is also a grassroots community development initiative that is hoped to give vulnerable kids a bright future.
He said; “So far, over 450 kids are taking part in the boot-camp (code name of the training) which commenced on 28th September, 2017 and will continue to 30th October. The regular season begins from the first week of November with the emerging 10 teams. The best two teams emerging from the group stages square up at the final of the championship on the 2nd of December 2017 at the Zaria Polo Arena.
“The US Mission in Nigeria through the Sport Diplomacy Department led by Mr. Russel K. Brooks and the US Ambassador, Mr. Staurt Symington, and other members of the US Mission in Nigeria support this initiative because of its importance to Nigerian youths.”
Daily Trust gathered that a team of the trainers visited the palace of the emir of Zazzau, Alhaji Shehu Idris, where the emir applauded the initiative and pledged the support and cooperation of the emirate.
