An attacking midfielder with Sporting Football Academy of Surulere, Lagos, Godwin Samuel Niniola has warned young footballers at the grassroots to be involved in other ventures as well.
Niniola offered this solid advice against the backdrop of recent calls for grassroots players to learn vocational skills that would complement their exertions in the round leather game.
The youngster, who is fondly called ‘Osimhen’ by his colleagues, admitted that life is tough for him and other young players, hence the need for them to get into many other ventures through which they can acquire the basic needs of life.
“I’m just praying to God for the right time to come,” Niniola opened up, “and I also face many challenges like other grassroots players.
“The basic needs – like feeding, housing, clothing – are hard to get. All these are things that affect players. We can then talk about bigger things like facilities, equipment and convenient atmosphere.
“For instance, whenever it rains, our field is always bad, and we can’t train. So, we have to think about the weather as well. These are some of the factors that grassroots players face.
“Any grassroots player that’s not in camp will have to fend for himself. If a player is in camp, he will be taken care of by the club … in terms of feeding, where he stays will be okay, and things like that.
“But, for a player who is coming from home, it is not so easy.
“That’s why my suggestion for every young player is to always find something doing apart from football.
“That will make it possible for them to get good things for themselves … such like boots, socks, hose and all the things they need for training. These are some of the things that affect grassroots players.”
