The Sporting Director of Enyimba Football Club, Ifeanyi Ekwueme has said that the current management led by Kanu Nwankwo is putting in place a long term structure for the club.
Speaking to newsmen in Aba at the end of the 5-Day youth development and scouting program in partnership with HamKam FC, Norway, Ekwueme said that the management is looking at structures that will benefit the club both now and in the future.
“For me it has been a work in progress. Like the chairman said, this structure we are putting in now is a long term structure that the club will benefit from in the future. Our Chairman, Kanu Nwankwo planned this youth program partnership with HamKam and it is working out the way we planned it”,
“This is the second edition. It is planned in such a way that they will not only staying in Europe to monitor what we do here, we signed a partnership with them in a way that they will come to Nigeria to train our youth coaches and also train the players”,
“They will also see with their own eyes the ones that are good so that it will be easy for them when they go to Europe. You know sometimes in Europe it takes time to adjust and some by the time they adjust maybe the team will not be patient”,
“But with this program, they have gone through some processes in the training and in lectures therefore making everything easier for them. So when they travel to Europe or any other part of the world for the fortunate ones, it will not be difficult. It is a great one to have HamKam partnership, it is helping the team a lot. We are also happy that the partnership is having the desired impact on our Youth teams”, he said
Speaking on the sustainability of the program, the Sporting Director said that while the coaches have the template of of the lectures, the partnership is tailored in such a way that the HamKam team will be in regular contact with them and exchange programs with the coaches.
He also said that the club has set up an internal mechanism to help monitor the progress of players and coaches.
Mr Ekwueme pleaded with all the professional teams in Nigeria to emulate what Enyimba is doing to enhance the structure in youth development in Nigeria.
