Back and Next - Back and NextGambia's workrate in grassroots football -Hallmark of success
Friday, April 17, 2009
I have it self-evident that the Gambia's impressive record in grassroots amateur football is truly on course.
In the realities of sports, winning a championship with all its magnitude comes with stability, long term planning and hardwork. I can safely concur that perhaps our youth policy and emphatic work rate in grass-roots football are the hallmarks of our success that makes us great in the international "Theatre Of Dreams"thus bold-mapping the Gambia’s name in youth football folklore which has gone unnoticed in the global sports spectrum. The investments pumped into this project and the dividends gained are a confirmation of optimism for the future.
Cap fits the bill,`Our Darling Angels, the Golden Baby Scorpions and Africa`s Newest Crowned Rulers' are back in the box seat to turn the country into a well respected force in the industry."Ask Not What Your Country Can Do For You But What You Can Do For Your Country". They have found the right balance by transplanting that ruthless long term vision with sound efficiency into reality. Gambians everywhere are certainly proud of the way we have done it. Each member of the squad deserves to be merited. With lots of quality and talents at our disposal and hence the power of media technology is alive, the world will again queue for a glimpse on Gambian own way of footwork to achieve something.
Gambians therefore cannot wait to see again our latest heroes roaring towards the next FIFA U-17 World Cup later in Nigeria with heads high up. Our title challengers have the pedigree and ability to take that platform by storm. This happy squad with quality of prospects have wiped tears following that controversial and half-baked FIFA/CAf criteria which disappointedly dumped our Senior Scorpions out of the equation in the on going 2010 CAN/World CUP qualifying rounds. Here and now our younger generation of footballers, have rightly justified the annals of sporting lexicon that says - "Judge the competitors less where they come from but where they are going with fair hearing base on merit." What a great advert for Gambian football.
During the 2009 Algeria CAF U17 Summit, our brave-heart representatives were not only unstoppable and untouchable but were invincible hence we lost no game, drawn none, conceded only one goal and registered a ballistic goal scoring harvest of 12. They say true champions with such clean sheet have more secrets in hand. Our flag bearers have expressed on behalf of all Gambians that just like crop farming and other tradable resources on the ground, the Gambia do posses potential human talents in sports to be explored for the financial markets as a boost to our socio-economic development growth.
Therefore nurturing the young in schools, academies and clubs is the way forward to galvanise and sustain this national pride. We have a big challenge as success is also a threat from rivals. Structural review of our Sports policy and especially that of the Education sector with reference to the sporting component will do good. Increased budget allocation and capacitising expertise locally in these two sectors will anchor for the better.
However, judging from the doom and gloom surrounding the world`s financial market, skilled in Sports Science, Nutrition, Management, Physiotrapy, Psychology and any other useful related`Ology' we can think of, will also consolidate this brilliant network. Business sector participation can only increase when such booming turnovers are realised and put in the spotlight. Good results bring about confidence for all involved to do better for the common good. This moment is the feel good factor for marketing and preserving our football brand. Foreign scouts and agents will obviously continue monitoring and grapping the untapped talents to work for them as they are value for money.
The afore mentioned suggestions could serve as a major factor to turn things better and produce what the country has been looking for, for a long time. But the beauty and bonus of the Algeria`success story’ is that, our glory chasers have further improved our credentials in the CAF cadet category by drawing level with Nigeria and Ghana as twice eventual winners thus proclaimed by pundits as`The Three Member-Kingdom of CAF U-17 Greats`since the inception of the competition.
I can safely say that this new development in our National heritage as continental champions bagged from outside the soils of the Gambia, is victory for football and all those working in it, in various capacities. Top tribute to the players, their head coach and back-room staff. The sitting GFA setup are undoubtedly the architects who are making the difference alongside all stakeholders and sponsors, notably the Governing body’s Chief Patron- The Head Of State for the commitment.
More over Government and her Area Councils, the private sector, coaches and tactical elites, clubs and regional-zonal associations; schools and academies with their football families, the diehard soccer fanatics as well as the fan clubs - old and young and the ever powerful sports media.
Our multi-medal campaigners are sending a message to their rivals. We pray that the same winning philosophy will be in our favour when we compete for the highest honour in the FIFA U-17 World Cup in October 2009.
In the realities of sports, winning a championship with all its magnitude comes with stability, long term planning and hardwork. I can safely concur that perhaps our youth policy and emphatic work rate in grass-roots football are the hallmarks of our success that makes us great in the international "Theatre Of Dreams"thus bold-mapping the Gambia’s name in youth football folklore which has gone unnoticed in the global sports spectrum. The investments pumped into this project and the dividends gained are a confirmation of optimism for the future.
Cap fits the bill,`Our Darling Angels, the Golden Baby Scorpions and Africa`s Newest Crowned Rulers' are back in the box seat to turn the country into a well respected force in the industry."Ask Not What Your Country Can Do For You But What You Can Do For Your Country". They have found the right balance by transplanting that ruthless long term vision with sound efficiency into reality. Gambians everywhere are certainly proud of the way we have done it. Each member of the squad deserves to be merited. With lots of quality and talents at our disposal and hence the power of media technology is alive, the world will again queue for a glimpse on Gambian own way of footwork to achieve something.
Gambians therefore cannot wait to see again our latest heroes roaring towards the next FIFA U-17 World Cup later in Nigeria with heads high up. Our title challengers have the pedigree and ability to take that platform by storm. This happy squad with quality of prospects have wiped tears following that controversial and half-baked FIFA/CAf criteria which disappointedly dumped our Senior Scorpions out of the equation in the on going 2010 CAN/World CUP qualifying rounds. Here and now our younger generation of footballers, have rightly justified the annals of sporting lexicon that says - "Judge the competitors less where they come from but where they are going with fair hearing base on merit." What a great advert for Gambian football.
During the 2009 Algeria CAF U17 Summit, our brave-heart representatives were not only unstoppable and untouchable but were invincible hence we lost no game, drawn none, conceded only one goal and registered a ballistic goal scoring harvest of 12. They say true champions with such clean sheet have more secrets in hand. Our flag bearers have expressed on behalf of all Gambians that just like crop farming and other tradable resources on the ground, the Gambia do posses potential human talents in sports to be explored for the financial markets as a boost to our socio-economic development growth.
Therefore nurturing the young in schools, academies and clubs is the way forward to galvanise and sustain this national pride. We have a big challenge as success is also a threat from rivals. Structural review of our Sports policy and especially that of the Education sector with reference to the sporting component will do good. Increased budget allocation and capacitising expertise locally in these two sectors will anchor for the better.
However, judging from the doom and gloom surrounding the world`s financial market, skilled in Sports Science, Nutrition, Management, Physiotrapy, Psychology and any other useful related`Ology' we can think of, will also consolidate this brilliant network. Business sector participation can only increase when such booming turnovers are realised and put in the spotlight. Good results bring about confidence for all involved to do better for the common good. This moment is the feel good factor for marketing and preserving our football brand. Foreign scouts and agents will obviously continue monitoring and grapping the untapped talents to work for them as they are value for money.
The afore mentioned suggestions could serve as a major factor to turn things better and produce what the country has been looking for, for a long time. But the beauty and bonus of the Algeria`success story’ is that, our glory chasers have further improved our credentials in the CAF cadet category by drawing level with Nigeria and Ghana as twice eventual winners thus proclaimed by pundits as`The Three Member-Kingdom of CAF U-17 Greats`since the inception of the competition.
I can safely say that this new development in our National heritage as continental champions bagged from outside the soils of the Gambia, is victory for football and all those working in it, in various capacities. Top tribute to the players, their head coach and back-room staff. The sitting GFA setup are undoubtedly the architects who are making the difference alongside all stakeholders and sponsors, notably the Governing body’s Chief Patron- The Head Of State for the commitment.
More over Government and her Area Councils, the private sector, coaches and tactical elites, clubs and regional-zonal associations; schools and academies with their football families, the diehard soccer fanatics as well as the fan clubs - old and young and the ever powerful sports media.
Our multi-medal campaigners are sending a message to their rivals. We pray that the same winning philosophy will be in our favour when we compete for the highest honour in the FIFA U-17 World Cup in October 2009.
Author: by Pa Assan Badjan, UK
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