CAFL targets Benue’s untapped American football talents, to establish academy in Makurdi

By James Ike

The Continental American Football League, CAFL, Africa, has unveiled plans to establish a football academy in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, as part of its drive to identify, train and promote emerging talents in the state.

Commissioner of CAFL, Mohammed El Mohammed, who disclosed this Wednesday during a media briefing in Makurdi, said the state remained a reservoir of sporting talents capable of making significant contributions to the Nigerian and global sporting scene.

El Mohammed said the proposed academy would serve as a talent-hunting and development centre where gifted young footballers would be identified and given the opportunity to develop their abilities.

He said CAFL was also preparing to commence its football league in Benue in March next year, explaining that the initiative was aimed at taking the sport to the doorsteps of Nigerians and creating opportunities for youths outside the traditional football centres.

According to him, the Benue State Government had already given its approval for the scheme to take off in the state.

He explained that the state government's expected contribution would principally be the provision of an enabling environment, including suitable playing pitches and security, noting that CAFL was not seeking financial assistance from the government for the initial take-off.

The commissioner said the programme would also incorporate welfare and medical support for participating players.

He disclosed that clinics would be established under the initiative, while trained sports therapists would be available to attend to players who sustain injuries during training and competitions.

"Benue is a home of talents yet to be fully harnessed, hence the need to tap from it for the good of the people. Families' economic well-being will be enhanced," El Mohammed said.

He noted that developing football talents could provide young people with career opportunities while contributing to the economic wellbeing of their families and communities.

Speaking on the initiative, the Head of Marketing, Benue Television, BTV, Mr Michael Awua, described the coming of CAFL as a new chapter in the state's sporting development.

Awua said the initiative had challenged the pattern in which major opportunities in the country were often concentrated in Lagos and Abuja.

"With the coming of CAFL, the long tradition that it all starts in Lagos and ends in Abuja has been broken," he stated.

He urged communities and young people across Benue to embrace the initiative and take the talent identification exercise seriously.

Awua also assured the organisers of the readiness of BTV to partner with CAFL through effective publicity and media coverage to ensure the success of the programme.

Similarly, the Director of Sports, Benue State Sports Council, Dr Iorngurum Malu, commended CAFL for choosing Benue as one of its destinations for sporting development.

Malu said Governor Hyacinth Alia was passionate about sports and would provide the necessary environment to support the successful implementation of the initiative.

He urged prospective young footballers to seize the opportunity to showcase their abilities and work towards building sustainable careers through the programme.

The Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Benue State Council, Comrade Bemdoo Ugber, and his counterpart in the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria, SWAN, Hembadoon Orsar, also welcomed the initiative.

They commended CAFL for bringing the media into the programme from its formative stage, describing media involvement as important to creating awareness and mobilising young talents across the state.

In his vote of thanks, Bishop Sam Praise said the gathering was not merely a media event but the beginning of a practical initiative that required the collective support of stakeholders.

He appealed to individuals, corporate organisations and other well-meaning residents of the state to support the programme and help ensure that the sporting potentials of Benue youths were effectively discovered and developed.