Sports
NRFF Intensifies Rugby Development With TI Coaching Training In Abuja
Joel Ajayi
The Nigeria Rugby Football Federation (NRFF) has intensified efforts to boost grassroots rugby development with another round of TI Coaching Training scheduled to hold in Abuja from October 23 to 25, 2025.
The three-day program aims to equip young and aspiring coaches with essential skills and technical knowledge needed to advance rugby across the country. Coaches from all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory are expected to participate.
To qualify for the program, participants must have completed the World Rugby Ready course — designed to promote best practices and help stakeholders manage the inherent risks of contact sports by implementing proper safety measures.
They are also required to undergo two additional modules:
Concussion Management for the General Public, which ensures players who suffer concussions receive proper care to protect their long-term health, and
Safeguarding Essentials, an introduction to key principles of child and player protection in sports, explaining how to identify, reduce, and respond to safeguarding concerns.
Speaking ahead of the training, World Rugby–certified instructor Wuraola Hussaini said the TI program will provide participants with the opportunity to put theory into practice.
“This training allows coaches to apply what they’ve learned theoretically. It’s part of NRFF’s commitment to instilling proper knowledge and techniques that will strengthen rugby coaching in Nigeria,” she said.
NRFF President, Dr. Ademola Are, commended World Rugby and Rugby Africa for their continued support and emphasized the importance of structured training in building the sport’s foundation.
“Our goal is to ensure that our coaches are well-grounded in globally accepted methods,” Dr. Are stated. “We want coaching in Nigeria to align with international standards and our long-term vision for rugby development. This kind of training is key to achieving that.”
The program reaffirms NRFF’s commitment to professionalizing rugby coaching and nurturing a new generation of technically sound coaches to drive the sport’s growth nationwide.
Sports
Plateau Vipers, Benue Queens Crowned Champions at HFN North Central Division One Tourney
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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