ABS FC inspect facilities in Offa ahead of PTDP final screenings, picks date
The team of Abubakar Bukola Saraki Football Club, led by the Director of Football, Chief Alloy Chukwuemeka , Saturday August 17, 2024, visited and inspected facilities in Offa, Offa Local Government Area of kwara state, ahead of the final round of screening for its Players’ Talent Hunt and Development programme (PTDP).
The team inspected facilities for accommodating players and officials, training and match pitches, among which includes Zeems Sports Arena, Oloffa Stadium, Freedom Hotel and others.
The team had, after expressing satisfaction with the facilities, picked Saturday 24th as Arrival date for all players, ahead of the three-day screening which holds from Sunday 25th to Tuesady 27th, 2024.
Chairman of Offa local Football Council Alh. Wasiu and members Offa FA were on ground to receive the team and assured them of maximum security and logistics arrangements.
The final round of screening will have all the players earlier selected from the six geo-political zones across the country.
The talent hunt team visited six locations across Nigeria, including Kaduna (North West), Bauchi (North East, Owerri (south East), which was put on hold due to environmental concerns), Calabar (South South), Ado Ekiti (South West), and Ilorin (North Central).
The initiative was aimed at discovering players ready for transfer to the European markets, and for the main team of ABS FC, as well as for the U-19 Youth League.
The programme is a collaborative effort with ABS FC’s international partners,
The initiative is expected to boost the country’s football development and increase the number of Nigerian players competing at the highest level globally.
Speaking with football stakeholders in Offa after the inspection, Chief Chukwuemeka said Offa was chosen to allow for maximum concentration, even as he.called for support for successful completion of the project.
Others in the entourage are the Club’s Coordinator, Jimoh Bashir, the Secretary, Funmilayo Owolabi, the Welfare Officer, Wahab Ayinde, the Head of Technical for the PTDP project, Coach Yusuf Salihu, North central zonal Coordinator Mallam Ahmed Abdullahi, the Club’s Media Officer, Tosh Michaels and others.
