10 WORLD CLASS FOOTBALL ACADEMIES IN NIGERIA: Developing Future Stars
Football
academies have taken center stage in the development of quality players for the
under 16 and under 21 national teams in Nigeria. Football business
entrepreneurs now establish academies to make profit from the transfer market.
Several
professional clubs, especially in Europe, partner with brands and sports
managers here in Nigeria to establish standard football academies, which
eventually serve as feeder teams.
Let’s look
at ten of these academies that are world class in terms of qualified personnel,
facilities, exposures, partnerships, affiliations and indeed, their
achievements so far.
No1, Pepsi Football Academy (PFA): Established by Pepsi. PFA is the brainchild of Iain Nelson, the then African Marketing director for Pepsi brand in Nigeria. Today, the academy is managed by the Executive Director/ Proprietor, Kasimawo Laloko, a veteran coach who had managed Stationery Stores FC and Nigeria national teams in the past.
PFA had
developed some of the biggest footballers in Nigeria today: Mikel Obi, Elderson
Echiejile, Joseph Akpala, Dominic Chatto and recently for 2013 victorious
Golden Eaglets, Taiwo Awoniyi.
Several
opportunities are open for the students in the academy. Pepsi has already
awarded 20 players scholarship to study in the UK.
Originally
based in Lagos at Agege Stadium, Pepsi academy now has 14 centers across the
country and has over 3000 students.
In its main
center in Lagos, PFA has a privately owned residential college of International
standard. The school run Nigeria secondary school curriculum at 4 Sagamu/
Abeokuta Expressway Orile-Imo, Ogun State.
No2, Kwara State Football Academy (KWFA):
Established 2005 by Kwara state government. KWFA is the initiative of Bukola
Saraki, Kwara state governor. The academy which commenced operations with
former Nigeria national team technical adviser, Clemence Westerhof, is now
managed by a Swedish technical director, Paul Ashwonth.
Ashwonth had
managed many professional teams in Europe including Dynamo Kiev and FC
Peterborough. Apart from Ashwonth, the academy has 7 other coaches, who are
former Nigeria International footballers with coaching certificates.
KWFA has
already developed players like Ahmed Abdul Taofix, who now plays for FK Vents
polis of Latvia. Yaya and Okon were also in Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets team that
won 2013 under 16 world cup in UAE.
The academy
currently has 150 students (age 13 – 21 years). It has training center in a
facility situated on about 35 hectares of land within Kwara stadium complex
Ilorin. It has a hostel that can accommodate 200 students, 4 standard pitches,
a gymnasium, 3 blocks of 27 classrooms and a medical center. It runs a
combination of British and Nigeria educational curriculum.
No3, Abuja Football College (AFC):
Established January 2012 by Gabriel Newton, founder/ FIFA Licensed instructor,
in partnership with Haruna Abba.
AFC recently
won FCT Federations cup and will be representing Abuja at the national level.
It won the under 20 unity football competition tagged FCT 2013, beating years
like Pepsi Academy, Kwara state academy…
AFC also got
to the Semi finals of Croatia soccer tourney in July 2013, defeated Pro-clubs
like FC Zagreb and Croatia’s under 21 national team.
AFC training
center in an exclusive location at Wuse, Abuja Municipals Bwari, has
residential suite that can accommodate 120 students. It also has a college with
Wendy Cameron as the principal. The college run USA educational curriculum.
No 4, Midas Soccer Academy (MSA): Established
November 2006 by Midas Holding Ltd, a broadcast content and media management
company in Lagos. It also has a football consult division.
MSA trained
Dele Alampasu who was the first choice goalkeeper of the Golden Eaglets that
won 2013 under 16 world cup in UAE. He was voted the best goalkeeper of
tournament.
MSA
regularly take its students on training tours and trials in Tunisia, UAE,
Armenia, and Serbia. The academy has established a franchise in the UK.
Here in
Lagos Nigeria, the academy has a very conducive training center on an expanse
of land beautifully grassed like a golf course. It has a swimming pool, Basketball
court, Gymnasium and it can create more than 5 pitched in a stretch of about 45
hectares of land. The academy presently has 250 students, under 15, under 19
and under 21.
No 5, Papilo Football Academy (PNKFA):
Established 2001 by Nwankwo Kanu, founder/ Nigeria’s football ambassador,
ex-international that played with Ajax, Inter Milan, Arsenal, and Portsmouth…
PNKFA has
succeeded in transferring over 10 players abroad. Notable among them are Joel
Obi of Inter Milan and Super Eagles of Nigeria; Stanley Okoro of Battista, the
one fans call ‘Little Messi.’
Kanu uses
his connections to bring in international coaches like Bryan Robson, Gary
Smith… to train the students on short courses.
The academy
has over 200 players in Nwankwo Kanu’s private estate at Egbu Owerri road.
Though, the academy still train at Dan Anyaim stadium cmplex and Uzii layout
primary school, but Kanu is currently building what may be the largest football
academy in Africa, at Owerri – Port Harcourt road, behind Concord Hotel. The
academy is open to Under 15, under 17, under 19 students.
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