The Kwara State Government has reiterated its resolve to develop football as a means of youth empowerment in the state.
The state Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq stated this when officials of Kwara Football Academy and Southampton Football Club of England paid him a visit on Sunday.
The Governor said his administration is open to synergies that will work out a developmental plan for the young people in the state.
Addressing the visiting officials of Southampton Football Club, Mr. Geoffrey Harrop and Mark Floreale, the Governor said, “I am aware of your (Southampton FC) presence in the State and the Scouting tournament at the Kwara Football Academy. I will like to appreciate you for coming all the way from England to Scout for our talents here. I want to tell you that we are ready for a partnership and a synergy that will sustain Youth development, as soon as you are ready we will sign an MOU on this.”
In his remark, the Southampton Football Club representative Mr. Geoffrey Harrop said he’s excited about the facilities and talents at the Kwara Football Academy and he posited that a partnership with the Club will drive an excellent outcome.
“I am excited about what I have seen here, we have got a lot of similarities in terms of our Football Structure and the pool of talented footballers I have seen on display in the last three days. Southampton Football Club is ready to partner the Academy and the State Government. In the next couple of weeks, some of your talented players will be in Southampton Football Club.”
The leader of the Kwara Football Academy’s delegation and the Technical Director of the Academy Sam Elijah (MON) appreciated the effort of the Kwara State Governor for providing an enabling environment for the Academy to thrive. He stated that the fortune of the Academy has changed for the better since the Governor assumed office in 2019.
“It has been an exciting time for us at the Academy in the last two years, your administration paid an outstanding backlog of Salaries owed since 2016 as soon as you assumed office in 2019. Your administration also facilitated the renovation of Block B hostel at the Academy. We want to appreciate you for providing us with an enabling environment and we promise to do more.”
The 3-day Scouting tournament came to an end on Sunday at the Kwara Football Academy with 6 players of the Academy penciled down for trials at the St’ Mary Stadium later next month.
The Informant247 News Nigeria