Promasidor Nigeria Limited, a leading company in dairy produce and producers of Cowbell Milk, Loya Milk, Top Tea etc has opened a Football Academy at Ipaja.
The Company chose to extend her grassroots youth development on soccer to the Alimosho axis where Coach Sule is handling the youth teams ranging from under 13, 14, 15, 17, and 19 for boys and a female team. These teams are well structured with adequate training schedules.
During our correspondence visit to the training centre, a playing ground own by the Ministry of youth Sports and Social Development of Lagos State, Ayobo Ipaja Youth/Vocational Training Centre popularly known as Fela field on Fafola Street in Ipaja. The Coach who has been involved in various youth development programmes in soccer since his graduation from the Nigerian Institute of Sports NIS said the need for establishing the centre was born due to the performance of his Under 15 team in the Eko Football Talent Hunt where they got to the Semi Finals. It was then that; the Rector of the Cowbell Football Academy Barrister Godwin Dudu-Orumen said there is need for such centre to be developed around Alimosho since fifteen out of the eighteen players featured were from the axis. This centre is to help identify young players and develop them closer to their houses without the usual stress of travelling to the national stadium in Surulere.
According to him (Coach Sule), over 200 youths came for the screening exercise which took place few weeks ago, after which some of the youths were selected based on their various age categories and the development has been quite impressive as the various age grade teams have been involved in some matches with good results too.
With the performance of the female team based on their training and developmental programmes one will believe that; there is a new dawn for our various female national teams.
Some of the players who expressed their feelings to our correspondence could not hide their joy, as they said their developmental training is fully free of any charges as Promasidor bears the cost and also showers them with products on regular basis. The captain of the Under 17 club, Oyebade Oyetade said that they are very happy for the opportunity been given to them by the company even as he showers prayers on her (Promasidor), while urging other corporate organisations to join the course of Cowbell in promoting grassroots sports development.
