EDWARD OSEGHE

The Sporting Director, Radial Sports Ventures, Aimuamwosa Igbinadolor, has announced that Radial Sports Football Academy has made provisions to accommodate and support highly talented young players to pursue a football career.

Igbinadolor made this disclosure in his opening speech during the official launch of Radial Sports Football Academy Benin Eriaria Center, Old Sapele Road, Opposite Ugiomo Secondary School, in Benin City, on Saturday, June 14.

According to Igbinadolor, “Everybody has potential, and except you try, you don’t find out what you can become.”

He emphasized that the academy is committed to identifying and nurturing young talents.

“We have arrangements in place to accommodate highly talented kids, but talents have to come with those children,” he stated.

The Sporting Director reeled out his inspiration in starting Radial Sports FA with the aim to contribute to the development of football in Nigeria.

“Radial Sports Academy was born out of my passion for football. During my upbringing, I always wanted to play football.

“Eventually, over the years, we all went to school, did something else, but the passion for football never left me,” he said.

Igbinadolor recalled that while in UNIBEN (University of Benin) in Production Engineering Department, he was the Sporting Director of the Production Engineering Association of Students.

“I was the very first to take Production Engineering Department to the finals of the Dean’s Cup in UNIBEN.

“That passion developed over the years, and when I got the opportunity to contribute my quota to the development of the game, I didn’t let it pass,” he narrated.

He stated that he had taken an English FA Level 1 Course in football coaching in the UK, and a certificate course in Sports Management at the Columbia University to understand the game from a broad perspective for managing coaches and administrators.

He added that the passion has been there, noting that’s where the inspiration came from; The fact that he couldn’t play the game, but can still, at the administrative level, contribute his quota to the development of football.

Igbinadolor further revealed that funding the academy has been 100% personal.

“Even though we have some funding strategies, the future growth is built around sponsorship. We are still developing the structure that will provide exposure for the sponsors.

“We don’t want to go into sponsorship discussions without our negotiating position.

“By the time we have that brand name, and we know that sponsors will be happy with us, that we can give them the exposure they want, we will go into negotiation with sponsors, and we can grow beyond where we are today,” he affirmed.

On the future and sustainability of the Football Academy, Igbinadolor explained that owning facilities is one of the main strategies Radial Sports FA has in place to be in the game for the long term.

He further stressed that the ultimate goal is for Radial Sports to have a club in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) and own its stadium.
“One of our hallmarks is ownership of our facilities,” he emphasized.
On his part, Efe Erhabor, Operations Director and Project Manager, Radial Sports Football Academy, reiterated that the facility is for raising young children who have an interest in football and want to develop a professional career in football.

Erhabor stated that the age category eligible for enrollment presently is from age 4 to 14. He added that the facility is also open to adults for recreational football.

The high points of the grand opening were the 5-A-Side novelty matches, which started with a kick-off taken by the Sporting Director.

The first match was between Starter Team A and Team B, featuring children under 6 – 14 years, with Team A defeating Team B 2-1.

While Team A’s first and second goals were registered by Godstime Niskan and Emmanuel Ajilekun, respectively, Joshua  Edet scored the only goal for Team B.

Next was the adult match between Barrack FC and Ugiomo FC. Lucky Oboh of Barrack FC celebrated his first and only goal 3 minutes into the game. An equalizer goal came through Orobosa Erhuhauyi at 5 minutes of the start of the encounter, and a second fascinating goal 2 minutes following. Wale Oladikpo made Ugiomo FC’s third goal possible at the 13th minute of play.

The second half of the match witnessed both teams displaying their best all through in determination to increase their scoreline. However, the game ended 3-1 in favour of the home side, Ugiomo FC.

In a post-match interview, the Central Referee for both friendly matches, Gideon Ayo, acknowledged that the matches were outstanding with well-behaved players, noting that he did not have a lot of problems officiating the matches.

Notably, the Central Referee stated that Radial Sports Football Academy’s pitch has a good drainage system. He also pointed out that the texture of the turf is soft, enhancing safety and convenience during matches. He added that the pitch is spacious enough for a standard 5-A-Side competition.

The launch marks a significant step in promoting football development in the region, providing young athletes with opportunities to hone their skills and pursue their dreams. With its commitment to inclusivity and talent development, Radial Sports Football Academy is poised to play a vital role in shaping the future of football in Nigeria.

Established in 2016, Radial Sports Football Academy, affiliated with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) through the Lagos State Football Association (LSFA) and soon to be affiliated with the Edo State Football Association, specializes in the development of young footballers between the ages of 3 and 18 years.

Beginning at her modest 0.3-acre facility in Sangotedo area of Lekki, Lagos State, Radial Sports’ goal has been to “completely change” the football development landscape in the country through local application of global best practices – “Omnia Mutantur” – Everything Changes!

Radial Sports Football Academy currently has 2 locations in Lagos with various pitch sizes, including one FIFA Standard size A pitch. Radial Sports Eriaria location is the third location and the first in Benin City. A second location with multiple fields at Iyanomo village along Benin-Sapele road is planned for construction in the next 1- 2 years.

Vision:

To be a sports organization renowned for the development of world-class and internationally recognized sportsmen and women.

Philosophy:

Radial Sports Football Academy strives to develop the complete footballer technically, mentally, physically, and socially in a safe and secure environment.

Players are subjected to a phased approach to becoming high-performing athletes throughout their development journey at Radial Sports. Every phase is designed to develop specific skills and attributes, carefully chosen for the age group and expected level of competition. From basic football techniques at a very tender age to complex tactical understanding of the game at later stages, Radial Sports deploys the same level of focus through continuous assessment and a feedback process.

Radial Sports coaches constantly observe each player and provide feedback at regular intervals. Players are taught values at the academy that serve them throughout life, even if they do not become professionals in the game.

Radial Sports Football Academy teaches discipline, respect, community service, teamwork, and a winning mentality.

Academy Programs:

Recreational: 3-7 years:

Kids in this age range are just getting introduced to the game. It is very critical to make their time at practice as fun as possible to ensure they develop passion and love for the game. Fun activities are deployed to teach basic techniques of football like passing, receiving, running with the ball, dribbling, shooting, coordination, etc.

Radial Sports aims to maximize their time on the ball using repetitive routines required to build muscle memory to execute football skills without thinking about them (ball mastery). Radial Sports uses small-sided games (4v4 – 5v5) and appropriately sized fields to ensure each player gets many opportunities for touches on the ball, which improves mastery and confidence.

Radial Futures and Juniors (Youth Program): 8- 12 years:

Radial Sports considers its youth program very critical to the future of its players. This age range builds on the gains of her recreational program to improve playing technique and the development of physical strength once they are promoted to this level. Tactical awareness and game strategy are also introduced at the beginning and become the focus at later stages of the youth program.

Radial Academy (Elite program) 13- 18 years:

The goal of Radial Sports’ elite category is to prepare players who desire to further their game to a professional level.

A high level of focus is placed on tactical awareness, physical strength, and social aspects of the game. This category offers an opportunity for scholarship for highly talented players. Admission into our elite program follows a rigorous selection process to evaluate players’ talent level and fit for its academy’s playing style.