Amun recommends players to Eaglets' coachesMANY bright stars were uncovered at the maiden edition of Paddysco Talent Hunt tagged, Paddysco Football Challenge, which ended recently at the National Institute for Sports (NIS) football pitch of the Lagos National Stadium, Surulere.The two-week programme, which had top football personalities, including the former General Secretary of the defunct Nigeria Football Association (NFA), Fanny Amun, in attendance, was rounded off with the selection of final 25 players in a round robin tourney of four teams that included the Talent Hunt squad. It was won by Paddysco Team A.Also available to boost the morale of the teenagers, who displayed great football talent and artistry, was Yomi Bremner Itshekure, a principal partner of Soccer Matters Ltd, the agency managing Super Eagles' Yusuf Ayila and Brown Ideye, and U-23 Eagles' Gbolahan Salami and Stephen Worgu.An elated Amun told newsmen shortly after the final game that he would personally call the football authorities at the Glass House to work closely with the sponsor of the programme, Paddysco Sports Int'l, with a view to getting a blueprint on how to help develop the game from the grassroots.He promised to speak with the Golden Eaglets' coach, Garba Manu, to give some of the players discovered at the programme a chance to try out in his team. He said: 'I am too confident that some of these boys will excel in the Golden Eaglets team if given a chance.'I am really impressed by the performance of these kids and have no doubt in my mind that they are the future of Nigerian football if well motivated and encouraged. I commend the organisers of this programme for their foresight and sincerity in helping these kids to actualise their dream and I will surely continue to support this project, which I hope will be an annual event.'Meanwhile, Itshkure, who had earlier addressed the players before the final game, assured that his agency would do everything possible to assist Paddysco Sports Int'l in marketing some of the players that showed exceptional talent.'I must confess that there are top quality players among these kids and I will surely support them. I am satisfied with the performance of these boys and will motivate them with the best of my ability,' he assured.At the end of the event, the Chief Executive Officer of Paddysco Sports Int'l, Peter Azunnaya Okereke, doled out N250,000 to the selected team, each player receiving N10,000 and souvenirs. Okereke further promised to make the programme an annual event. The second edition will come up in October, 2012, with pre-trials expected from March.Meanwhile, the selected players have been grouped into two - one to be prepared for trial in Turkey and Greece while the players in the other are likely to be offered contracts by Nigeria Premier League clubs, as they prepare for the new season.
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