By Eric Ojo
Community Sport and Educational Development (CSED), a frontline Non-Government Organisation (NGO), has trained additional 35 netball coaches in Bayelsa State.
CSED uses sports as a tool for promoting literacy and the social well-being of Nigerian children and young people, especially the girl child and vulnerable youth.
The two-day netball seminar for Physical Education (P.E) teachers which was held inside the indoor sport hall of the Samson Siasia Stadium in Yenagoa, is part of the NGO’s effort aimed at promoting the right to play netball by Nigerian girls and bringing netball to the attention of one million Nigerian school girls before the end of 2027.
The project which is dubbed, “Project 2027”, aims to promote SDG 5 (gender equality). Notably, netball is currently the only sport that is specifically developed for girls and women.
The training was organized in collaboration with the Bayelsa State Ministry of Youth and Sports and Bayelsa State Ministry of Education. It is coming as the first training to be held in Nigeria since netball was demonstrated at the National Sports Festival which was held in Asaba, Delta State (Asaba 2022).
The beneficiaries which include 25 P.E teachers, were drawn from various schools across the state and 10 Sports Council coaches. The Head of Sports Department at the Bayelsa State Sports Council, Mrs Catherine Sasuode, was among the 35 newly trained netball coaches in the state.
The participants were taught the theory and practical aspect of netball by two Netball Africa certified coaches, Mr. Godwin Edema Fuludu, who is also CSED National Coordinator and Onome Fuludu, an undergraduate of the University of Benin.
The trainers stressed the importance of “safeguarding” in sport and netball in particular. Mr. Fuludu informed the participants that at the end of the training, CSED Initiative will provide them with access to free online safeguarding training, as well as other free online sports for change training.
This, according to him, will increase the knowledge base of the attendees, which will ultimately promote the safety and well-being of their students and athletes.
CSED strongly believe that the only way that netball can grow at the grassroots level in Nigeria is to back up its training of netball coaches by activating them with netball starter packs.
In the light of this, netball training kits/equipment which includes: two netball rims/nets, two netball balls, two sets of netball training bibs, and one packet of finger-held whistles were freely distributed to the trainees at completion of training.
In his remarks at the closing ceremony of the event, the Bayelsa State Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Hon. Daniel Igali, said he was very pleased to host CSED Initiative event at no cost to the ministry.
The commissioner who was represented by the Director of Sports at the ministry, Sir. Braveman Wodi also added that they are looking forward to future collaboration with CSED Initiative in other areas of sports development.
Hon. Igali who is popularly referred to as the ‘champion commissioner’, further stated that: “CSED Initiative is the ideal NGO to partner with”.
Similarly, the Bayelsa State Commissioner for Education, Hon. Dr Gentle Emelah, who was represented by the Deputy Director Senior Secondary Education, Mr. Ikobho Clinton, thanked CSED Initiative for the training and provision of free starter packs.
He admonished the teachers to go back to their schools and put into good use the knowledge and equipment that they have acquired in the netball seminar.
Mr. Fuludu thanked the participants for the enthusiasm they showed during the period of the training. He also thanked the two commissioners for their synergy in making the programme a huge success.
The participants also expressed their gratitude to the Trustees of CSED Initiative for extending their “Project 2027” netball training to Bayelsa State.
The Bayelsa State training event brings to 178, the number of P.E teachers that CSED Initiative have trained and activated since June 2022 in five states of Nigeria.
The Trustees of CSED are currently in discussion with other states in the Niger Delta axis in order to extend their pioneering and netball status changing training to their teachers as well.
