NIS Commences Summer Basic Coaching Programme

The National Institute for Sports (NIS) in collaboration with Ray Tiding Consulting Limited and the Akwa Ibom State Football Association (AKSFA), has commenced an eight-week summer basic coaching programme in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, as part of efforts to strengthen coaching capacity and advance grassroots sports development.

The programme, which commenced at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, brought together sports stakeholders, coaches and aspiring sports professionals seeking to develop foundational coaching knowledge and practical skills.

The eight-week programme is targeted at football coaches, grassroots coaches, sports academy instructors, youth leaders, retired athletes, club coaches, sports administrators, graduates interested in careers in sports coaching and others seeking foundational knowledge in coaching.

Speaking at the event on Monday, the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Sports, Paul Bassey, expressed delight over the initiative and commended what he described as the renewed direction of the NIS under the leadership of Philip Shaibu.

Bassey also highlighted the visible renovation and renewed seriousness at the Institute, expressing confidence that coaches in Akwa Ibom who had been looking forward to such an opportunity would take full advantage of the programme.

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Chairman of the Akwa Ibom State Football Association, Samuel Umo, urged participants to maximise the opportunity to improve their knowledge and contribute meaningfully to the development of football.

Umo encouraged the participants to continue learning beyond the programme, stressing that constant improvement and professional development would benefit Akwa Ibom State, Nigerian football and the wider African football ecosystem.

Also speaking, NFF Board Member representing the South-South, Hon. Utuekong Nse Essien, PhD, commended the NIS for taking coaching education closer to the grassroots.

Essien described the initiative as a positive development for the Nigerian football ecosystem, noting that equipping grassroots coaches with the fundamentals of coaching would help reinvigorate sports development across the country.

He also commended the NIS Director General for the initiative and called for the programme to be extended to other regions to provide similar opportunities for coaches across Nigeria.

Essien further challenged participants to look beyond basic certification and pursue continuous professional development.

He stressed that coaches should not become stagnant after acquiring basic qualifications but should continually advance their knowledge and competence from one level to another to enable them to make greater contributions to the growth of Nigerian sports.

The programme is expected to equip participants with basic principles and techniques of sports coaching, practical coaching skills, as well as the ability to organise drills, exercises and competitions effectively.

The initiative further 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 across Nigeria.