As Nigerian football coaches are waiting for federal government to lift ban on football any moment from now, a Lagos based football coach, Prince Oladele Okunade Akintade has appealed to Lagos State Football Association LSFA to design a policy that would capture the well- being of grassroots football coaches in Lagos.
Akintade who has spent 28 years as a chief coach of The Great Femo Sports Football Academy of Okota, Isolo told our correspondent recently that immediately Federal Government lifts ban on football, time has come for state football ruling body to design a policy in collaboration with Lagos State Sports Commission to compel all the private schools both primary and secondary including public schools in Lagos to employ at least a football coach to tutor their students as part of school curriculum activities.
“I think this is the right time Lagos FA should look into the welfare of the football coaches especially at the grassroots level.Many grassroots football coaches have lost their lives due to poverty. We have contributed so much to the football development in this country but unfortunately most of our colleagues are dying of hunger and one sickness or the other as a result of no money.
“My appeal to Lagos FA is to come out with a policy whereby schools in Lagos should have at least one football coach to tutor their students and there should be agreed weekly or monthly salary that would be different from school teachers because coaches would be working on per time basis pending the days both school and coach agree upon. We may say schools have teachers in Physical Health Education but I want to say it loud and clear that the two things are different,” he said.
A former Leader of Oshodi/Isolo Football Coaches Council said a teacher who is teaching Physical Health Education PHE in school cannot be regarded as football coach only football coaches who have coaching certificate can handle the students very well in aspect of playing football and fitness training which helps the growth of young ones.
Akintade said that he is appealing to state government because many grassroots football coaches are doing the coaching job with passion and without being paid by anybody.
He however urged the Lagos State Sports Commission and Lagos FA to look into the well being of the grassroots football coaches so that the young coaches would not lose interest in the profession.
Effort by our correspondent to reach Technical Chairman of Lagos State Football Association, Dotun Coker on the issue was abortive.
