Coach Ibrahim Jamiu, a former football player and one of the founders of Radiance FC, Lagos Island, has been dedicating his time and effort to nurturing young talents in grassroots football.
The club, which has been in existence for about seven years, manages teams in different age categories – U10, U13, U15, and U17.
After a friendly match between the U8 and U10 teams of Radiance FC and Tuto FC at Eko Boys’ High School, Sports 247 caught up with Coach Ibrahim to discuss the club’s approach and challenges in grassroots football.
He highlighted the importance of exposing the young players to opportunities by organizing friendly matches with other teams, especially on weekends, as the players attend school during weekdays.
“This is grassroots football, and we expose the children to opportunities to play friendly matches with other teams outside the Island on weekends because they go to school and come back late,” Coach Ibrahim explained. On weekdays, they play short friendly matches with teams within the same area.
When it comes to collaboration among coaches in grassroots football, Coach Ibrahim emphasized the importance of maintaining communication with other coaches to plan friendly matches. Such collaboration enhances the development of young players.
As a coach in grassroots football, Ibrahim acknowledged the challenges of working with children who may not fully comprehend the game’s intricacies. However, he stressed the significance of patience in guiding them towards becoming better players “For you to train in grassroots is not easy because they are children and they behave childishly, so you have to be patient with them as they do not have an idea of what they are doing. We are just trying to nurture them so we can get the best out of them,” he said.
However, despite the passion and effort invested in the club, Coach Ibrahim stressed the need for more support from the government and sponsors. Currently, he and his partners finance the teams without external support, and only a few parents of the players show their backing. “If we could get more sponsors and support from the government, it would make a huge difference,” he added.
Radiance FC has participated in various competitions, such as the Teslim Elias competition on Lagos Island and the MRS competition. Currently, they are gearing up for the WAASIMI competition hosted by Segun Odegbami, a former Nigerian Super Eagles player, in Ogun State. The U8, U10, U13, U15, and U17 teams will be participating in this upcoming tournament.
Offering advice to other grassroots managers and coaches, Ibrahim expressed his desire for his players to have opportunities to play internationally. He emphasized that the club’s primary goal is not solely focused on winning competitions but on nurturing young talents who can potentially become future professionals in the world of football.”We are not training them to play in the national league because we understand this country is not supportive of grassroots efforts,” he said.
With a personal background as a former football player for Soccer City and Island Stars, Coach Ibrahim’s love for the sport and commitment to nurturing young talent fuel his passion for coaching. Despite facing some restrictions in pursuing his football career at an earlier age, he found a fulfilling path in coaching to contribute to the development of the next generation of football stars.
