Anambra plans to streamline sports sector, commences instructors coaches registration

By Goodness Ndukuba, Awka

Anambra State Government has planned to establish a comprehensive data base of sports administrators, coaches and instructors across the state.

Patrick-Agha Mba, Commissioner for Youth Development and Sports made the disclosure at a news conference in Awka on Thursday.

Mba said statewide data capturing exercise would hold between Sept. 28 and Sept. 30 with desks at the 21 Local Government Councils across the State.

According to him, this was part of efforts to reposition from recreation to a critical tool for youth empowerment, job creation, talent discovery, grassroot sports development and social cohesion.

“Some individuals are parading themselves as sports instructors, sports officers and administrators in schools, academies, clubs and communities without any formal registration with the ministry or without standardised knowledge of modern sports and sports safety.

“The ministry has constituted a committee to sanitise, structure and strengthen sports development at the base and to achieve this lofty vision, we must have a solid foundation.

“I therefore call on all sports instructors, whether in primary schools, secondary schools, private academies, fitness centres, community clubs and local governments, to take advantage of this window to get registered.

“You cannot have a thriving sports ecosystem without competent, trained, and certified manpower at the grassroots.

“The Ministry will commence the mandatory registration and data capture of all Sports Instructors, sports officers and sports administrators in Anambra.

“This database will help us to plan, support and engage you for state and national programmes,” Mba said.

He said registration forms would be available at the Ministry of Education and its agencies adding that they would be trained and certified after a workshop that would be held across the three senatorial districts .

“This certificate will be a basic requirement for anyone who wishes to practice as a sports instructor or administrator in any public institution or any sports facility in the State.

“We are going to make sure that after every exercise that only certified personnel are allowed to train our young people because the safety and the future of our young people are paramount,” he stressed.