By Babatunde Ogunrinde
The Nigeria America Football Association (NAFA), the organisers of the Nigeria Secondary School Flag Football League, have opened the U-18 camp for boys/girls in Lagos.
The camp registered 80 young players aspiring to become among the 25 boys/25 girls national team players for international championships around the globe.
The camp, which opened on Wednesday, rounds off on Friday where the players that eventually meet the cut, would be selected after much training and screenings.
The screening is ongoing at the Kings College, Lagos Island.
Tyler Adetona, the Athlete Director, NAFA, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the camp was essential to choose, train and drill quality players for national assignments.
He said that the players were selected from those who took part in the last edition of the season.
According to Adetona, the aim of the camp is to prepare the team that will represent Nigeria at the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) tournament in 2023 in Ireland.
“I have seen a lot of tarents at the camp so far and during the league games, I saw abundant tarents and so far I’m proud with what we have in camp.
“At the end it may be so hard for me to choose because they so good players who have embraced the game and so passionate to make something out of it,” Adetona said
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He added that with the mandate given to him, he would build a national U-18 team that would push the players in the right direction.
“We have to drill them in stability, speed and mental alertness and most importantly, give them the opportunity that we have to make them excell,” Adetona said.
Similarly, Olufunmilayo Akintomi, the Head Coach, Stadium Junior High School, said the players were excited to be in camp and would work hard to make the national team.
She said that the opportunity was a good one as the players had the chance to exhibit their skills and learn new more things as the game was relatively new in Nigeria.
She said personally she had been exposed as she had also learnt so much from the technical inputs from the organisers of the league.
“This is a great development for sports in Nigeria as it seeks to give young people a chance to prove themselves in a sport that is relatively new in Nigeria.
“The last league that ended in June produced so much scholaships for this youths and further inspired them to work harder to be their best at school and on the field.
“Being a non-contact sport, it inspires them to play well because it reduces the risks of injuries and makes them happy to exhibit their skills.
“With the international coaches on ground that trained us as well, we feel good as the youths would be given the nitty gritty of the game so that they can apply easily,” Akintomu said.(NAN)
