The
Rector of Cowbell Football Academy (CFA), Godwin Dudu-Orumen has urged
corporate organizations to follow the lead by Promasidor Nigeria Limited, which
has been involved in youth sports development and sponsorship.
According
to the respected sports marketing consultant, the corporate community in
Nigeria is yet to harness five per cent of the potential in youth sports
sponsorship, which he described as a goldmine.
While
assessing the impacts of CFA, an initiative sponsored by Cowbell Milk (the
flagship brand of Promasidor Nigeria Limited), on the country’s football
development in recent years, Dudu-Orumen said that youth sports has the
capacity to promote visibility of local brands even beyond national borders, as
well as promote consumer loyalty and increase sales.
He
further said: “The opportunities in sports sponsorship for brands are enormous.
First, the children that benefit from corporate sponsorship become strong
loyalists and advocates of the brand. It is also a cheap publicity opportunity
for the companies, enhancing brand recall. Unfortunately, many corporate
organisations have not responded positively to this great potential. I believe
that less than five per cent of the opportunities in sports sponsorship for
brand marketing is harnessed.”
The
sports promoter said CFA has nurtured over 1,000 football talents in the past
five years. He added that its Summer Camp, which holds yearly in four centres
in Lagos and Edo States, became so popular that it attracted children from
Sierra Leone and other West African countries.
“The
next edition of the summer camp holds from July to August. Registration is
ongoing, and we expect a huge participation in line with its culture,” he
pointed out, adding that Promasidor has proved that corporate sports sponsorship
could be very rewarding.
On
his part, the academy’s Head Coach/Technical Coordinator, Hyacienth Nkwocha said
CFA and other professionally-managed academies have improved the quality of
grassroots football development in the country.
He
explained: “We have improved on the quality of training in the past few years.
We focus on the fundamentals of football and our processes and tactics are
research-based. There have been tremendous improvements unlike those days when
nobody cares about taking the kids through the nitty-gritty of the game.”
Nkwocha
said that increasing involvement of ex-internationals in the running of academies
has raised the tempo, improved professionalism and injected discipline in the
system. He noted that football academies would continue to deliver more results
if young footballers would be patient to hone their skills before rushing to
Europe.
Miracle
Okocha, a top student of CFA who was the Most Valuable Player in the 2014 Copa Coca-Cola
Teen Camp in Brazil, called on young talents to patiently develop their skills
before seeking opportunities abroad.
“Academy
is critical to football development. But many young players are impatient. They
want to travel to Europe even when they are yet to nurture their skills. At the
long-run, that does not help as such people end up as average players. For me,
I am grateful for the opportunity Promasidor Nigeria, through CFA, has given me
to develop myself.”
Okocha
called on other corporate organisations to follow the example of Promasidor
Nigeria in contributing to the discerning and development of future footballers.
Cowbell
Football Academy, which holds at the National Stadium, Surulere, attracts participants
from the ages of five to 17 who are being taught character building, individual
technical development, small-side games, team competition, mental training,
goal keeping training, fun game and more.
Its
sponsor, Promasidor Nigeria has been involved in youth development through
other corporate social responsibilities, including Promasidor’s Harness Your
Dream (a career guidance workshop), Loya Swim Meet and Cowbellpedia Secondary
School Mathematics TV Quiz Show.
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