Sports

CAF C-License: Go And Develop Local Football, NFF Charges Female Coaches

Published

2 years ago

September 29, 2024

Joel Ajayi

President of the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, Alhaji Ibrahim Gusua has charged the newly trained in “CAF License” to do everything possible to use the knowledge, the skills acquired at the training to develop football in the country.

He gave this charge on Saturday when a total of 30 women coaches who began a first-ever, three-module CAF C-License coaching course in July were presented with their certificates at a colorful closing ceremony at closing

The event organized by the Nigeria Football Federation, the epochal coaching course saw more than a dozen former stars of the Super Falcons involved in the intensive classroom and on-field sessions that saw the coaches proceed on an internship with clubs after each of the first modules, with the third module ending with examinations at the NFF/FIFA Goal Project, MKO Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, the NFF President, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau charged all participants not to rest on their oars and to be more proactive in their quest to effectively utilize and impact their knowledge in the immediate society.

He noted that his dream is to see women coaches pulling their weight with even men’s teams across the land, with accomplishments to underscore the fact that those appointments were well-deserved.

“We are keen to see you utilize the knowledge you have acquired in this program. The NFF will interface with the States that own Premier League clubs to integrate you into their system so that you can acquire more technical knowledge on the field.

“My dream is to see young women coaches standing in the dugout giving instructions in a men’s team. I will do my best to see that this happens during my tenure as the NFF President”.

Also, NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, tasked all graduates to productively apply the knowledge they gained while participating in the exercise, demanding that they continue to remain as good ambassadors of themselves and the country at large.

“The knowledge you have acquired, please make sure you apply the same. It is not enough to get the certificate. We hope you will be good ambassadors of this country so that the NFF will be fulfilled, and FIFA and CAF will also be excited about this program as we advance”.

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Sports

Plateau Vipers, Benue Queens Crowned Champions at HFN North Central Division One Tourney

Published

7 hours ago

October 3, 2026

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

The President of the Handball Federation of Nigeria (HFN), Jibril Seidu, has said the federation will continue to intensify its grassroots talent development drive through zonal competitions across the country.

Seidu stated this on Saturday in Abuja at the finals of the 2026 North Central Division One Handball Championship, where Plateau Vipers defeated Suleja Shooters 29-24 to emerge champions in the men’s category.

In the women’s final, Benue Queens of Makurdi defeated City Queens of Suleja to claim the title.

The eight-day tournament featured teams from across the North Central Zone, with Plateau Vipers of Jos, Confluence Stars of Lokoja, Unity Boys of Abuja, Suleja Shooters and Nasarawa Ambassadors of Lafia competing in the men’s category.

In the women’s category, Nuela Handball Academy of Ilorin, Inikpi Babes of Idah, Benue Queens of Makurdi and City Queens of Suleja competed for honours.

At the end of the competition, four teams — two male and two female — emerged as the North Central Zone’s representatives for the national Division One league.

According to Seidu, the tournament was organised as part of the federation’s deliberate strategy to take handball development back to the regions and discover talents that might otherwise remain unnoticed.

He said the HFN board, inaugurated on October 25, 2025, resolved that grassroots development was essential to creating a sustainable pipeline of players for national and international competitions.

“All the teams you have seen here are from the North Central Zone of the country, and every state is represented with an academy or state team,” he said.

Seidu explained that the new approach marked a departure from the previous system, where talent identification was largely centred on the federation’s major league competitions.

He said taking competitions to the regions would provide young players with greater opportunities to showcase their abilities while strengthening the foundation of handball across the country.

The HFN president also linked the grassroots initiative to Nigeria’s recent achievements in international handball, stressing the need to develop younger players who can eventually replace members of the current national teams.

He noted that Nigeria had qualified for the 2027 Men’s Junior Handball World Championship in North Macedonia, describing the achievement as evidence of the potential within the country’s handball system.

“How do we replace these players with upcoming players? This is the avenue for us to get players,” he said.

Seidu added that the federation was determined to make handball more visible and accessible, describing it as one of Nigeria’s major sporting disciplines with significant potential for growth.

The North Central tournament is part of a wider zonal programme designed to decentralise handball development across Nigeria.

According to the federation, similar competitions are being organised across other zones, including the South East, North East, North West and South South, with qualifiers from each zone expected to converge at a designated venue for the next stage of the competition.

The federation also appealed for greater support from sponsors, stakeholders and state associations to sustain its grassroots development programme.

It expressed appreciation to the participating states, academies, team sponsors and other stakeholders for their support and commitment to the growth of handball in Nigeria.

The federation said the initiative would provide a platform for discovering the next generation of Nigerian handball stars while expanding the sport’s reach beyond its traditional centres.
While Speaking the elated coach of Benue Queen Godwin Tondo has promised a stronger and more tactical performance after guiding the team to victory at the 2026 North Central Division One Handball Championship in Abuja.
He attributed the success to the team’s long-term youth development programme, noting that the squad was built through a deliberate process of identifying and nurturing young talents.
According to him, the programme began with the selection of 92 girls from secondary schools, who were subsequently trained and developed over a four-year period.

He said the team’s success was a product of sustained hard work and commitment despite the challenges encountered during preparations for the tournament.

“I feel very pleased being a champion today. The road to this stage was very, very hard, but I am very happy that we have got the result from all the toughness of the game,” he said.

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