By Faith Anisiobi, The Sight News
The National Institute for Sports (NIS), in collaboration with the Akwa Ibom State Football Association, will commence an eight-week Summer Basic Coaching Programme in Uyo as part of efforts to strengthen grassroots sports development and improve coaching standards across Nigeria.
The programme aligns with the Institute’s mandate to promote sports development through quality education and capacity building. It also forms part of the NIS strategic initiative to make coaching education more accessible to aspiring and practicing coaches nationwide.
Akwa Ibom State is under the NIS South-South Zonal Centre, headquartered in Benin City, Edo State, a structure designed to extend professional sports education to every part of the region.
Participants will receive intensive training in the fundamentals of sports coaching, practical coaching techniques, drill organization, exercise planning and competition management. Successful participants will be awarded the NIS Certificate of Participation/Completion.
The programme is open to football coaches, grassroots coaches, sports academy instructors, youth leaders, retired athletes, club coaches, sports administrators, graduates seeking careers in sports coaching and other individuals interested in acquiring a solid foundation in coaching.
According to Ben Ogbemudia, Special Assistant on Media to the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the National Institute for Sports, the initiative reflects the Institute’s commitment to developing competent coaches capable of driving sports growth at the grassroots level.
Ogbemudia said that under the leadership of the Director General/Chief Executive Officer of the National Institute for Sports, Comrade Philip Shaibu, the Institute has continued to expand coaching education through its zonal centres and strategic partnerships across the country.
He noted that the Uyo programme demonstrates the DG/CEO’s determination to produce highly skilled coaches, nurture sporting talent and ensure that every geopolitical zone benefits from the Institute’s professional training programmes.
Interested participants have been encouraged to register, with further details on the commencement of the programme to be communicated by the Institute.
