STAR, the official beer partner of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL), kicked off a three-day clinic in Nigeria's capital city, Abuja in a bid to share Arsenal's philosophy of football with NPFL coaches.
The idea for the clinic was conceptualized and integrated in the partnership between STAR and the League Management Company (LMC) to support the development of the round leather game in the country especially in the top division in Nigeria. This is the first of the benefits since the signing of the landmark partnership in 2016.
Declaring the event open, chairman of the League Management Company and second vice president of the NFF, Shehu Dikko, charged participants at the event to pick all the positives expected to be shared by the instructors especially the concept of attacking football being played by the London-based club with a total focus on development and creating their own philosophy.
"I implore everyone here to ensure you use this opportunity to learn and also share your ideas with the Arsenal coaches present. It is not about a particular club's way of playing but the fact remains that we are open to learning new things everyday and all knowledge we acquire are very important for our chosen profession," Dikko said.
Also speaking at the event, Portfolio Manager, Premier Lager brands, Nigerian Breweries, Tokunbo Adodo reckons that the beverage company thought about what they can add to help develop and support the growth of the NPFL and Arsenal were chosen for the club's consistency, development of young players and their attractive brand of football.
"A lot of people wondered why we selected Arsenal for this first clinic with our NPFL coaches. We actually looked at their attractive football philosophy, youth development which has aided their revenue generation over the years. Another reason is the following they enjoy in Nigeria," said Adodo.
For Simon McManus who is a UEFA-licenced coach at Arsenal in charge of technical delivery and implementation of playing the Arsenal way, he and his technical team are ready to share and also learn the Nigerian football model while also hoping the coaches pick and assimilate the Arsenal way of playing soccer.
During the three-day clinic, the NPFL coaches will discuss the key components of ‘The Arsenal Way’ of coaching, playing and the concept. They will also be provided with theoretical support on how to structure a coaching plan for the week and also demonstrate best practice playing style. Credit:npfl.ng