[dropcap]A[/dropcap]rsenal has decided to bring its footballing way to Nigerian youths by extending its football development camp with Exsportise closer to Nigeria, through Angel Works Educational Foundation (AWE Foundation) and Zola Sports International Consulting Limited (Zola Sports).
AWE Foundation is a non-profit organisation with the aim of supporting educational pursuits in Nigeria. It is the philanthropic arm of Angel Works Media, a media production company with global reach, which principally focuses on the intersection of film, travel and identity through documentary filmmaking.
From its early days of creating content around the stories of Africans discovering Caribbean resorts, and Nigerian football fans traveling to the France 98 World Cup, it has told stories of migration, identity and belonging that built bridges between people, communities, countries and continents.
With this football project, the company is continuing the engagement of Nigerian youths with their foreign counterparts on an equal footing through a common cause; the love of football.
While Zola Sports is involved in analysing trends in the sports industry and providing feedback to improve performance for clients such as football clubs, football academies, schools and also facilitating summer camps and assisting individual players to secure local and international professional contracts. They are based in Nigeria and have also worked South Africa, UK and other countries.
In this exclusive with the publisher of Freelanews, VICTOR OJELABI, the CEO of Angel Works Media, Ronke Macaulay, comprehensively explained what is involved in the opportunity Arsenal is presenting to young footballers in Nigeria.
AFDC is based in the United Kingdom and it’s a programme by the greatest football club in the world in association with Exsportise, to offer boys and girls an opportunity to enhance their football skills through learning to ‘play the Arsenal way’. The programme, which is designed by the Arsenal Development Lead Coach, focuses on a range of skills and drills, tactics and matchplay as well as other elements including sports science, nutrition, physical conditioning and building confidence.
Arsenal is a global phenomenon and it’s rightly celebrated for developing young talents at home in the UK. They’re reaching out to their massive fan base and all football lovers here in Nigeria to come and partake of the opportunity to develop their skills with coaching from Arsenal staff. We’re delighted to work with them to achieve this aim.
The football development camp is based on campus at a beautiful boarding school outside London, which is run by Exsportise. The young players aged 10 to 17 years, both boys and girls, will have 30 hours of coaching per week. And in the evenings, they would enjoy a range of social activities, entertainment and all the amazing facilities the boarding school has to offer.
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The curriculum is built around ‘playing the Arsenal way’. It’s a philosophy and training programme which recreates the experiences of the Arsenal Academy players. The programme focuses on a range of skills and drills, tactics and matchplay as well as other elements including sports science, nutrition, physical conditioning and building confidence. The young players would undergo standardised skill tests, enabling players to identify their own performance goals and areas for improvement. Each player will receive an official Arsenal Football Development End of Course certificate.
All the coaching would be done by Arsenal coaches, who hold a minimum of a UEFA licence coaching qualification, along with the English Football Association Youths Coaching Certificate. Our players from Nigeria would also be accompanied by a certified youth football coach with experience of working with top schools and academies in Nigeria and South Africa.
How will young footballers be selected to participate in the development camp?
The selection process would be very rigorous. While the programme is open to any player aged 10 to 17 years based in Nigeria, each applicant must have at least one year playing experience and be capable of traveling abroad without his or her parents or guardians. To be under 24/7 adult supervision in order to pursue his or her footballing goals. The registration form is very comprehensive requiring full details of any medical condition, dietary requirement etc. Each applicant should also be in a position to apply for UK visa if required, must be a fluent English speaker and must agree to be on their best behaviour at all times.
Are there specific criteria or qualities you will be looking for in the aspiring players?
A passion for football and previous experience as a player are required.
As you would expect, Arsenal operate at the highest levels of football development. The programme recreates the experiences of the Arsenal Academy players.
Are there plans for community outreach or involvement beyond the camp itself?
During their stay in London, after the football camp ends, the players would enjoy an excursion to the Emirates stadium. If this is not possible due to a home match being scheduled for Arsenal on that day, then the excursion will be held during the week. They will also enjoy a special lunch in a Nigerian restaurant with a motivational talk. Other tourist excursions include a River Thames cruise, visiting important landmarks, shopping and cinema outings.
Considering the cultural diversity in Nigeria, how will the camp address and respect the local cultures of the participants?
Diversity is very important to Arsenal as a football club, as witnessed by their commitment to the ‘No Room for Racism’ campaign, for example. Also, individual players would be asked to make any special request pertaining to dietary, religious or other needs. Girls are also very welcome as equal representation will be promoted, to reflect the growing popularity of women’s football.
Are there plans to incorporate any local football traditions into the training programme?
Local football tradition in Nigeria will obviously be key to the players’ previous experience. So this will be part of the foundation on which Arsenal coaches will seek to build and improve during the training camp.
What measures are in place to track the progress of participants after the camp, and is there a strategy for continued support in their football development?
The Zola Sports coach, who will be accompanying the players from Nigeria will keep in touch with them after their return from the camp to encourage them in their continued football development. In the event that any player is identified as potentially having a future as a professional player, he or she would not slip through the cracks, but would be followed up.
Are there any collaborations or partnerships with local football associations or organizations to ensure the success of the development camp? And how do you plan to engage with the local football community and create synergies with existing youth development programmes?
There are ongoing discussions with the local football communities to raise awareness of the programme and nominate players who may wish to participate in the development camp.
How do you envision the legacy of this development camp contributing to the overall growth of football in Nigeria?
We strongly believe that this is the beginning of a great relationship between Arsenal, Exsportise, Zola Sports and Angel Works. We sincerely hope that a successful programme in 2024 will lead to regular ongoing engagements, which will create opportunities for Nigerian youths to benefit from playing the Arsenal way. This can only enhance the growth of football in Nigeria and it is a great honour for myself as an Arsenal fan and football lover to play a part in exposing our youths to the best training available internationally.
On our side, Angel Works Educational Foundation is seeking to continue with our philanthropic educational projects in Nigeria.
We also hope to sponsor or at least heavily subsidise one talented player to be able to participate in the Arsenal Football Development Camp in 2024. This is small a legacy that we would be honoured to leave for football in Nigeria.
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The package includes visa processing, return flights, transfers, football training, accommodation, full board, excursions and entertainment for 10 days. For further information or to register, please send your contact details to angelworks2015@gmail.com or call/ whatsapp Zola Sports on +234 704 179 5992.
Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.
