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By Gabriel Dike
One of the nation’s Olympic gold medalists in football, Kanu Nwankwo, was the star attraction at the 2023 Greensprings Kanu Nwankwo Football Camp, which had in attendance about 200 school pupils.
The camp also attracted two expatriate coaches from the Netherlands who specialized in youth football, and many coaches from the Lagos State Sports Council.
Before his introduction, as soon as Kanu Nwankwo entered the Greensprings School Hall, the pupils, parents, teachers and the school management gave him a rousing welcome, with many shouting “Papilo,” his nickname in football.
Addressing the pupils, from public and private schools, Kanu Nwankwo, appreciated the school management for keeping the flag flying with the start of the camp after a two-year break due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The former Arsenal star also commended parents for sending their wards to the football camp and described it as the best decision the parents have made.
He further described the camp as the best one could get in the country and hoped the pupils would be better footballers than himself, adding, “I want you to make me proud and better than I.”
Nwankwo said he believed in the pupils and expected them to excel in academics and football, tasking them to compete well and put their best, noting the scholarship for the best pupils in camp was worth fighting for.’’
Giving an overview of the football camp, the chief strategy officer of Greensprings School, Mr. Uche Ogbu, recalled that the camp, which started in 2012, is a five-day intensive football training project, where boys and girls between the ages of and and 17 years undergo training by top coaches from Europe and the United Kingdom, along with mentorship from the Olympic gold medalist, Mr. Kanu Nwankwo.
According to him, the football camp is designed to enable the pupils learn the fundamental skills required to be professional footballers.
Ogbu said: “It also aims to empower children through football and education, hence, at the end of the camp, several awards are issued to players based on their conduct and individual/team performance during the camp, with the ultimate prize being the academic scholarship to study in Greensprings School, which is granted to the ‘most promising player’ of the camp, as part of the school’s corporate social responsibility.”
He listed some achievements of the camp, including the training of over 2,000 pupils in the last eight editions and full academic scholarships to 11 children, eight of whom have graduated from Greensprings School, while three are still in the school.
Ogbu made an appeal for sponsors and more strategic partnerships, stressing, “Apart from the strategic partners, we do not have any financial sponsors. So, we are using this opportunity to appeal to everyone to support this project in any way you can.”
The head teacher of Greensprings School, Feyi Ojugo, said the training camp would help shape the pupils to be perfect in football skills, adding that the pupils are from different schools and, at the end of the camp, they would have honed their football skills.
In her remarks, the executive secretary of Greensprings Schools, Mrs. Lai Koiki, said part of the core vision of the school was to give every child a good education, “and our quest to provide quality education to every child in Nigeria remains our top priority.”
Koiki said the camp was one of Greensprings’ visions and revealed that the 11 pupils that were awarded scholarships were from public schools.
“We also open our schools to teachers from other schools. We train and lecture them. We do this every year and tell them to replicate it in their schools,” she said.
The executive director acknowledged Kanu Nwankwo’s contributions to football and also the two Dutch coaches for their support of the camp.
Speaking via recorded message, the 11 previous scholarship winners acknowledged how the award changed their education and showered encomiums on the school for the opportunity.
They said the award improved their exposure, communication and leadership skills. One of the awardees said the school has transformed his life and made him a better person.
