A new graduate of football coaching from the National Institute for Sports (NIS) in Lagos, Esther Toluwa Otenigbagbe has made a clarion call for more females to join the gaffer’s trade, because more of them are needed in Nigeria.
Otenigbagbe made the call in an exclusive interview with sports247 minutes after her graduation at Lagos National Stadium, which she described as her long sought ambition.
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The new graduate further disclosed that she had the burning ambition of becoming a trained coach since 2001 and recalled that eventually going through three months of the course was not an easy task to accomplish.
Otenigbagbe stated, “To be sincere, it hasn’t been funny. We went into thick and thin, but God saw us through. Thanks to God, we are now graduating.”
She then revealed that some words of advice from her father were the main source of motivation that made her embark on the coaching venture.
Otenigbagbe recalled, “What gave me the motivation was a quotation by my late father.
He said, ‘Don’t give up until you achieve your goal,’ and that has been propelling me for a very long time. I’ve been trying to obtain this certificate since 2001, but I couldn’t. To God be the glory, I came in this year 2024, and I am happy that I’ve now done it.”
She then gave details of her active playing days and reasoned that the experience she gained from going to various places across Nigeria will come in handy for her as a coach.
The excitable lass retorted, “I didn’t play on the international stage, but I played at the local level. I played for Pepsi Football Academy. I also played for Macbeth as well as for my primary and secondary schools. I also played for my tertiary institution and in some localities outside Lagos.
I’ve played in Makurdi, Ogun State, Nasarawa, Abuja and Kano. I came to NIS to upgrade my knowledge of football.”
Otenigbagbe then spoke about her future ambitions, the biggest of which she revealed is to study more and one day own a football academy of her own.
She reasoned further, “As a coach, you need to go for courses and seminars that will upgrade you technically and knowledge wise; so that you will be able to impact better ideas to your players.
My plan now is to go higher, and I’m trusting God for a befitting job. I also want to gather money and go for a UEFA course. That’s my aim. After getting a UEFA licence, I’m trusting God that I will be able to set up my own academy.”
Otenigbagbe concluded with words of advice to other aspiring coaches, especially females, who she says are needed in abundance to take charge of women teams.
“My advice to upcoming coaches is that they should try their possible best to register at NIS. It will change them and help them become better coaches. They will get some techniques and training that will make them able to impact better on their athletes much more.”
“As for female football coaches, please come out of your shell. We need more female coaches in this field. Let’s do it together. Please, don’t hide. Come out. We need you more. See me, I am now a certified football coach,” Otenigbagbe enthused.
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