The National Institute for Sports (NIS), in partnership and the Akwa Ibom State Football Association (AKSFA), has launched an eight-week Summer Basic Coaching Programme in Uyo, designed to enhance coaching skills and advance grassroots sports development.
The programme was attended by the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Sports, Hon. Paul Bassey; the Registrar of the NIS, Mr. Belmond Benson, who represented the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the Institute, H.E. Comrade Philip Shaibu; Chairman of the Akwa Ibom State Football Association, Samuel Umo; NFF Board Member representing the South-South, Hon. Utuekong Nse Essien (PhD), coaches and other stakeholders in the sports sector.
The eight-week programme, which commenced at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, is designed to provide participants with foundational knowledge and practical skills in sports coaching. It is targeted at football coaches, grassroots coaches, sports academy instructors, youth leaders, retired athletes, club coaches, sports administrators, graduates interested in a career in sports coaching and others seeking a foundation in coaching.
Speaking at the programme, the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Sports, Hon. Paul Bassey, expressed delight at the initiative and commended what he described as the renewed direction of the NIS under the leadership of H.E. Comrade Philip Shaibu.
He noted the visible renovation and renewed seriousness at the Institute, expressing confidence that coaches in Akwa Ibom who had been eager for such an opportunity would take full advantage of the programme and make the organisers proud.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Akwa Ibom State Football Association, Samuel Umo, urged participants to maximise the opportunity to improve themselves and contribute to the development of football.
He encouraged them not to stop after the programme but to continue learning, evolving and improving, stressing that their continued development would benefit Akwa Ibom State, Nigerian football and the wider African football ecosystem.
In his remarks, the NFF Board Member representing the South-South, Hon. Utuekong Nse Essien, PhD, commended the NIS for taking coaching education to the grassroots, describing the initiative as a positive development for the Nigerian football ecosystem.
He noted that taking the basics of coaching to the grassroots would help reinvigorate sports development and commended the Director General for the initiative. He, however, called for the programme to be extended to other regions of the country to provide similar opportunities for coaches across Nigeria.
Hon. Essien further urged the participants to progress beyond the basic level and continually improve their knowledge and professional competence. He said coaches should not become stagnant after acquiring basic certification but should continue to advance from one level to another to contribute more effectively to the growth of sports.
The programme is expected to equip participants with basic principles and techniques of sports coaching, practical coaching skills, and the ability to organise drills, exercises and competitions effectively. The initiative reinforces the NIS’s renewed commitment to taking sports education and professional development closer to the grassroots while creating a sustainable pathway for the continuous development of coaches in Nigeria.