Coach Olumide Ajibolade of Beyond Limit FC has declared that the Ikenne-based youthful team’s promotion to the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) is a source of motivation to all young players and private-owned clubs in the country.
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Ajibolade stated as much after guiding his wards to top spot in the Nigeria National League (NNL) Super-8 southern zone play-offs, with a 1-0 win over Inter Lagos FC sealing the ticket on Wednesday.
It meant the sister club of NPFL outfit, Remo Stars of Ikenne, finished ahead of Ikorodu City of Lagos, who they drew 1-1 with on Monday.
As he now gets set to line his lads out against Nasarawa United of Lafia to determine the NNL’s overall champion for 2024, Coach Ajibolade reeled out a chain of factors that shot Honourable Kunle Soname’s team to the top within such a short while.
The smooth-talking tactician, who is also on attachment to the under-17 national team. Golden Eaglets, added that he pays more attention to the progression of his players, rather than count his personal gains.
Coach Olumide stated, “I feel happy when people mention those things, but it amazes me because I’m not keeping track of them.
“Instead, I’m keeping track of the players … their attitude, their growth, and their development.
“I also watch how they are competing, and if they are using the lessons we are giving them to become better human beings and better players. That’s what we are tracking at Beyond Limit.”
Coach Olumide then went ahead to throw more light on the team’s feat, which saw them move from academy football, through the grassroots and third-tier Nationwide League One (NLO) to the NNL and now top-flight NPFL in the spate of three years.
He affirmed: “As regards our promotion, I will say we are shining a bit more light into Nigerian football. We are passing a message that it is wrong to say a player has to reach a certain age in order to be able to compete. That is a myth, and it must be reformed.
“If you have proper coaching in the right environment, young players can thrive. Young players everywhere in Nigeria should be given the opportunity to compete.
“The idea that they cannot compete because they are young or inexperienced is not correct. That’s why I say we are representing every team with young players and every private club somewhere.
“We are telling them that the dream is possible … keep investing, keep trying to put the pieces in place, and things will soon be right.”
The trailblazing gaffer concluded by shedding light on some of Beyond Limit’s success strategies, which he inferred to that any other ambitious and history chasing team should emulate.
“We are not here by mistake. We are not here by accident. We are here because we are intentional about football and what we want to achieve … in terms of our long and mid-term goals.
“You can see this from our facilities, to investment in the tournament and the foreign trips. There is a clear direction, and everyone is seeing the results of that clear direction,” Ajibolade submitted.
