By Ifeoma Anigbado
The Anambra State Government has commenced a three day screening exercise to select male and female football players who will represent the state at forthcoming national competitions.
The Commissioner for Youth Development and Sports, Mr Patrick Agha Mba, declared the exercise open on August 1, saying about 350 football talents, aged between 16 and 19 years, from across the state were participating in the selection process.
Agha Mba said the exercise was aimed at identifying the most talented players who would constitute the state’s male and female teams for the competitions.
He said successful participants would proceed to a closed camping programme for further screening and intensive training to prepare them for the tournament.
The commissioner charged coaches and technical officials to ensure a transparent and merit based selection process, stressing that only the best players should be picked to build formidable teams capable of competing successfully against other states.
He expressed confidence that the selected teams would qualify to represent the South-East at the national finals scheduled to hold in Lagos.
Agha Mba commended Governor Chukwuma Soludo for his sustained support for sports development and youth empowerment, noting that the administration had continued to provide opportunities for young people to develop and showcase their talents.
The commissioner also led players, staff and management of the Ministry of Youth Development and Sports in celebrating the birthday of the governor’s wife, Dr Mrs Nonye Soludo, Founder of Healthy Living with Nonye Soludo, describing her as a champion of healthy living and public wellbeing.
He reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to advancing the Solution Agenda through sports development, talent discovery and youth engagement, expressing optimism that Anambra would continue to record remarkable achievements in the sector.
Ifeoma Anigbado is of the Ministry of Information and Value Reformation, Anambra State
