Former Super Eagles player, Oluwafemi Ajilore, has called for increased investment in sporting facilities to accelerate the development of grassroots football in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Ajilore said the FCT had recorded significant improvement in football development with the emergence of more academies and clubs providing opportunities for young players.
He made the call in Abuja while speaking on the development of football in the territory.
“We have seen a lot of improvement in football generally in the FCT. We have seen many academies and clubs being engaged.
“I feel it is a great platform to take away many of our youths from criminal activities.
“Creating an enabling environment for them to compete and continue working on what they believe in, which is their dream of football is a big thing,” he said.
According to him, grassroots football had also helped to bring young players, parents and football stakeholders together.
Ajilore said the just concluded soccer league in the territory which attracted football dignitaries and parents, demonstrated the growing importance of grassroots competitions.
He described football as a unifying factor and a potential career path for young people when properly developed.
The former international, however, identified inadequate sporting facilities as one of the major challenges confronting football development in the FCT.
He commended efforts to renovate the Area 3 Sports Complex and other facilities, as well as efforts by the FCT Administration to rehabilitate the Bwari Stadium.
“We still need more of that because we have a population. We are beginning to see people from all other states coming to Abuja for academies, and it is a good thing.”
“But the issue of facilities can never be overemphasized because it is one of the major aspects of how football can truly develop,” he said.
Ajilore called for the completion of planned sporting facilities across the six Area Councils of the FCT to provide more venues for young players to train and compete.
He said the expansion of football facilities would help the territory accommodate the growing number of young people seeking opportunities to develop their talents.
Ajilore expressed optimism that improved infrastructure and sustained grassroots programmes would strengthen the football ecosystem in the FCT and produce more players capable of competing at the highest level. (NAN).
