President of the Nigeria Football Federation and FIFA Council Member, Mr Amaju Melvin Pinnick has commended the leadership of the Football Coaches Association of African Nations (FCAAN) for its vision, commitment, and investment in training coaches, as the body prepares for another landmark ‘train the trainers’ programme in Akure, the Ondo State capital on Sunday.
“The NFF is particularly impressed with your drive and the passion with which you have been executing the coaching programmes over the years. We need more inspired facilitators like you to help a lot of our coaches and lift them notches higher than they are at the moment.
“Personally, I am always excited at ‘train the trainers’ programmes. It is a capacity enhancement that every professional, in and outside football, needs to be as good as they can be. Proficiency comes with a passion for what you do, experience and quality training. Your organization is doing great work and must be praised,” Pinnick told Dr. Babatunde Terry Eguaoje, president of FCAAN in Lagos on Friday.
Eguaoje, who is also a Consultant on Coaching and Development to the NFF, said he is encouraged by the words of Mr Pinnick and will ensure the training programmes continue at good pace.
FCAAN’s latest drive is a seven-day ‘C’ course programme which commences in the Ondo State capital on Sunday, at which no fewer than 100 Nigeria football coaches are expected. The FCAAN’s ‘C’ course is the highest-level course thus far that the body is offering on the African continent.
“FCAAN is the world’s largest Football Coaches Association with over 45,000 members across the globe. Over the years, we have offered F, E and D courses in Nigeria to update coaches on global best practices and expose them to current coaching methodologies. Our conviction is that better coaches will inevitably translate to better players.”
Eguaoje, who holds double Doctorate Degrees in education and Master’s in sports management in the United States, said the ‘C’ course will expose participants to practical sessions on how to critically analyse matches in ways that will improve their knowledge and understanding of the game.
FCAAN’s Director of Coaching Education, Ambassador Henry Abiodun challenged all the coaches coming for the programme to put in their best as anyone who fails to meet up with the international standard set for the course will not be certified.
The participants are drawn from the Nigeria Professional Football League, Nigeria National League and the grassroots. It will be recalled that FCAAN licensed over 200 coaches who took part in the association’s ‘D’ coaching course in Ibadan and Akure two years ago.
Only on Tuesday, the FCAAN signed a Memoradum of Understanding with Nigeria’s leading sportswear company, Owu which certifies the latter as the Official Kit Partner of the association.
