The just inaugurated board of the Nigeria Netball Federation has entered a collaboration with the Nigeria Diaspora Talents Development Committee to harvest the avalanche of netballers of Nigerian descent doing exploits across the globe.
This much was revealed by the National Sports Commission Director-General Hon. Bukola Olopade during the inauguration of the NNF board at the NSC Headquarters, Moshood Abiola National Stadium Abuja.
His words, “I am aware of the immense work put in by NNF President, Dr. Mrs Esther Aluko, and Chairman of the Diaspora Talents Development Committee, Dr. Tunde Adelakun, to ensure that we get many of these our talented netballers across the world to represent Nigeria. When you take note that most of the best netballers in the world are Nigerians, this is very encouraging.
“Adelakun and his team have been in constant contact with these netballers and the NNF and they all keep saying that they want to play for Nigeria. Adelakun was one of those that have been mounting pressure on us to accord Federation status on netball. He has been compiling this list for a while in conjunction with Dr. Aluko. Honestly, their efforts and passion give us the encouragement to do this.
“We are so certain that Nigeria will soon be a global force in netball. We will take the sport to the schools but because this sport is more prominent abroad, we have readymade diaspora athletes to put us on the global map. In fact, that was why we set up the National Diaspora Talents Development Committee to help us take full advantage of these diaspora athletes.”
Dr. Adelakun believes that netball is one of the biggest beneficiaries of the Diaspora Sports Initiative.
“In fact, we have a standby Nigeria Diaspora Netball team. We have been assembling them for some time and will soon showcase them starting with the Nigeria Intermediate Games in October where we will field the Team Diaspora”, he said.
Dr. (Mrs) Aluko is optimistic that netball will soon regain its rightful place in Nigerian sports.
“I have seen what netball once was in this country. During my own formative years, it filed the courts of schools and colleges across several states in Nigeria. It developed discipline, built character and produced young women who carried the lessons of that court into careers, families and communities. Then, gradually, it was abandoned, not by the players, but by the structures that should have served them. This strategic plan is the formal declaration that the abandonment is over”, she enthused.
