Handball
By Millicent Ifeanyichukwu
Lagos, April 20, 2018 (NAN) Henry Edebor, a Benin-based handball coach, on Friday urged the Edo sports authorities to provide the enabling environment to encourage the growth of handball in the state.
Edebor told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that it was worrisome that upcoming players building their career in handball were training with sub-standard facilities.
He said there was the need for the players to regularly train on standard courts in order to be acquainted with the requirements that would boost their skills.
“Our state government is saddled with lots of responsibility, but issues affecting the youths should be given priority because the youths constitute a high percentage of the population.
“Now we are having challenges in training our young handball players because of poor facilities and we need the state government to do something about it.
“We were in Lagos for the just-ended National U-12 and U-15 Championships, and the facilities there were good and it showed in the performances of the players who won the trophies.
“It was a first time for our team to play on such a standard facility, which was a very good experience for them, and we will be glad to have such facility within our reach,” Edebor said.
The coach said the availability of such facility would go a long way to encourage players to remain in the sport and help to attract more youths to the sport.
He added that it was only this that would help the Edo State Handball Association (ESHA) produce sets of teams at the grassroots capable of representing the state at national events.
“Young players need all the encouragement to sustain their interest in the game, because they all have the potential to become good state and national players, and it takes a good foundation to bring them to stardom,’’ Edebor said.(NAN)
MIL/KTO/OLAL
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(Edited by Kamal Tayo Oropo and Olawale Alabi)