By Flowerbudnews
The Rangers International Football Club Foundation says it will be focusing on moves to stabilise and strengthen street football, popularly known as neighbourhood football, for greater impact among children and youths.
The Chairman of the Foundation, Coach Ebere Amaraizu, told newsmen in Enugu on Sunday that over the years street football had helped develop lots of talents in Nigeria.
He said that street football had played an immense role in the upbringing and development of children and young persons as well as exposing them to various sporting skills.
According to him, street football has helped increase the spate of socialization and community cohesion among children and youths within most communities in the country.
“There is a need to sharpen the essence of the street football on child development and its connectivity to multi-sports activities framework,” he said.
Amaraizu said that the foundation would partner with Cope and Live Mental Health Awareness Foundation and other groups under it’s multi sectoral approaches towards strengthening street football within South-East communities and other parts of the country.
“It will be a conscious attempt to help children and young to reinvent themselves through street football.
“It is a place where children and youths develop and positively show themselves. Most prominent footballers in the world today develop their skills naturally through street (or neighbourhood) football.
“For us at Rangers International Football Club Foundation, we shall use the framework to inculcate good moral/values in them, offer psycho-sociological support and free counselling that will help to sharpen their skills.
“Stabilization and strengthening of the street football will help train the body and the mind and a sure way to promotion of cognitive, affective and psychomotor abilities. It will also promote community cohesion and unity,” he said.
Amaraizu noted that it would also
help children/youth develop resilient mindset, improve socialization skills, intelligence and be self-reliant, adding “it will make them to develop skills faster, be creative and be independent decision makers.
In a related development, Amaraizu said modalities are being fine-tuned for the commencement of summer classes for children/youths in the areas of multi-sports activities by the foundation in partnership with Cope and Live Mental Health Awareness Foundation.
He said that the foundation would also collaborate with table tennis, taekwondo, boxing and chess associations to undertake the summer classes at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu.
“The football kicks for children will expose them to basics of football science and other sporting events during the summer classes.
“The activity is aimed at exposing them to life changing experiences with particular reference to 3Ds of sports, which is Discipline, Determination and Dedication.
“Within the summer classes, there will be counselling/psychotherapy sessions for understanding of negative emotions, triggers to mental health challenges and its management,” he added.
A good innovation by Rangers’ Foundation. It will help curb many Youth related vices in our Society.