The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has unveiled the Dove Sports Academy, which he said, is part of the church’s efforts to discover more sporting talents from the grassroots.
Speaking at the event held at the Redeemers High School Sports Field located at Redeemed Camp, the project coordinator of the academy, Fredrick Yamala explained that their target is to catch talented youths young at the grassroots, train and give them adequate exposure and make them world beaters in various sports.
Yamala who doubles as the Director of Sports Yaba College of Technology was full of praise for the General Overseer of the Church for giving his approval and support for the takeoff of the academy just as he promised that with time the academy will be a reference point for other similar academies in the country.
According to the one-time Chairman of the Lagos State Coaches Association, the sustainability of the project is guaranteed even as he announced that they will be starting with football, athletics, and cricket.
“Our main objective is to catch them young at the grassroots, groom, train, and expose them and take them outside the shores of this country as well as teach them the importance of combining education with sports. I’m confident that this project will be sustained because nothing that the Man of God puts a hand on that does not succeed,” he said.
A representative of Brazil’s Ambassador to Nigeria who also serves as the Culture/ Education Officer of the Embassy in the country, Adeniran Olusola Arimoro, said the Embassy is happy to partner with the church in ensuring that the youths combine their education with sports which would open more doors for Nigerian youths to strive in their sports career.
“The Dove Sports Academy will go a long way to develop young athletes from the grassroots. It is a base for future sports stars to be discovered. A platform like this is needed to help youths succeed in their sports career.”
He urged the sports ministry to encourage more organizations to emulate the RCCG initiative by establishing sports academies in their communities.
