British PM hopeful Corbyn shows Nigerian politicians the way with clamour for more funding for grassroots football

By Daily Sports on June 8, 2017

The man who may be the next leader of Great Britain as that country hold elections to elect a Prime Minister today, Jeremy Corbyn has shown his love and care for the development of grassroots football.

Recently, he made a strong case for grassroots football funding that warmed my heart. As part of his Labour Party manifesto, Corbyn pledged to ensure that the Premier League upholds its promise to push five per cent of the income generated from television rights into grassroots football.

The Prime Ministerial hopeful, in a training session on London’s Hackney Marshes, said:  “Despite the game we all love receiving lucrative domestic and international TV deals, the grassroots game has been shamefully starved of funding over recent years.

“Too often, youth football teams cannot find pitches to play on and when they do they are expensive and the facilities are not fit for purpose.”

It is very pleasing to see and hear someone gunning to be leader of a big country like the UK caring so much about the state of grassroots football.

Although the Conservative party headed by current PM Theresa May, who is projected to be the likely winner of Thursday’s polls has fired back at Corbyn by pointing out that “there is more money going into grassroots football than ever before,” the debate on funding for grassroots football is a recognition in high places that it is important for the social, economic and prestige interests of a country to motivate its youths to develop their sporting interests.

Here in Nigeria, it is almost nonexistent to see the Nigerian government concern itself about things like the kind of pitches and other facilities available for grassroots clubs. Funding for grassroots clubs is very low in the agenda of political parties and government officials and it’s only when their selfish, personal interests are concerned that you can find a big government official caring for a grassroots club and their funding issues.

I remember some years ago when there were primary school renovations in Edo state. While the exercise was a success in terms of the improvement of learning facilities for students, one demographic suffered, and that's grassroots football clubs.

Many grassroots clubs usually used the primary school pitches to train and play matches. But the renovations did not take their interests into account and with glass windows installed in the classrooms and gigantic gates put in place, many grassroots clubs were effectively shut out from using the facilities.

Some grassroots clubs were forced to fold up and many players, as a result of idleness, joined cult groups and became nuisances to society.

We need leaders who will understand that funding grassroots clubs is a social responsibility and grassroots clubs must form themselves into some kind of pressure groups to make politicians understand that.

It is not enough to look out for grassroots clubs and hand them pennies during election time. In fact it is insulting to the grassroots coaches. A well laid out plan to help these clubs to continue to exist with the right facilities to train and improve their players, as well as seeing these players growing up to benefit society should form part of the policy of any serious political party.

Source Daily Sports

Posted June 8, 2017


 

You may also like...
Rashford Shines As Manchester United Beat Chelsea In...

Sports Minister tasks new NIS Board

Getafe Refuse To Travel To Italy For Inter...

Liverpool’s Klopp wary of wounded Man Utd ahead...

Strickland can beat Adesanya – Pereira

2021 AFCON Qualifiers: Super Eagles Begin Preparation For...

 

Latest News Nigeria beat Cameroon to reach IHF final 27 schools for Doregos Basketball Championship Super Falcons to play France’s Les Bleues in friendly SWAN suspends ban on coverage of Anambra FA activities Joshua among boxing’s top three earners in 2024 Oshoala makes history with Bay FC Nnamani hails team over IHF bright start Flamingos lift U-17 W’Cup Fair Play Trophy Rangers Intl, SWAN partner on sports collaboration in SE LAGOS SWAN CELEBRATES AIG ZONE 2 ON HIS BIRTHDAY AND 30 DAYS IN OFFICE Traders Cup: Upholstery Soccer Team Secured 2nd Win To Advance To Round Two Lagos SWAN Celebrates Oba Akiolu, Iyaloja General, AIG Fayoade

 

Most Read Rangers International going, going . . . (55,142 views) Amaju Pinnick: A cat with nine lives (46,269 views) Second Term: Amaju Pinnick, Other NFF Heavyweights Home to Roost •How Pinnick Broke the Jinx (44,350 views) Missing $150,000 IAAF Grant: Solomon Dalung’s Hide and Seek game (43,991 views) Sports Development: Zenith Bank on the zenith (43,932 views) Current issues in Nigerian sports: Matters arising (43,879 views) Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje’s solid footprints, commitment to sports development in Kano State (43,718 views) NFF Presidency: Pinnick, Maigari, Ogunjobi, Okoye in Battle for Supremacy (43,289 views) Olopade, BET9A wave of revolution in NNL (42,333 views) Commonwealth Games 2018: Shame of Muhammadu Buhari, Solomon Dalung (41,036 views) Ibrahimovic’s Man U exit: Whose decision is it? And in whose interest? (39,489 views) John Mikel Obi: Segun Odegbami’s Outrageous Call! (38,916 views)

 

Phone numbers

Tel: +234(0)8066020976
+234(0)8055068145
+234(0)7013416146
+234(0)8094272884

Email addresses

info@dailysportsng.com
support@dailysportsng.com
publisher@dailysportsng.com

Office address

No 3, Adetoun Close, Off College Road, Ogba, Ikeja Lagos.
Website: www.dailysportsng.com

Social Media