Sotonte Football Academy talents hunt debuts

THE stage is set for the maiden Sotonte Football Academy talent hunt, which kicks off next month across the country.According to the coordinator of the project, Raymond Odoh, the exercise is aimed at grooming, teaching and coaching youngtalented Nigerian footballers to reach a greater height in their career.The two-month event will be staged in seven cities across Nigeria with the kick off in Lagos, while the final leg holds in Abuja.'I had played for clubs in Nigeria and I still play for a third division side in Turkey. Apart from football, I am a mechanical engineer based in Istanbul and I felt there is need to harness the talents that abound in this country. So we have decided to stage this talents hunts to select truly young players that can start their career in an organized and professional clubs in Europe,' Odoh said.To be part of the exercise, he said, the form can be downloaded from the website and must be filled with payment of N5, 500 into Sotonte accounts in any branch of Oceanic and Wema Banks across the country.'50 players will be selected with the final camping holding in Lagos where final 22 with exceptional talent selected for a football trial and football competition in Turkey. While in Turkey, football scouts and clubs will be on hand to see the players and possibly sign those that are relevant to them. Sotonte Academy, the organizers of the event will however take care of every traveling expenses coupled with logistics as a reward for the 22 players who distinguished themselves,' he added.According to Odoh, 'The exercise is meant for players between 14 and 18 years of age and we will be strict about the age because we have had instances that people try to cheat with their age and we will be so much strict on this to ensure that the right players benefited from this.'To inspire the players to success, Super Eagles former star, Mutiu Adepoju has been chosen as the ambassador of the project.Venues that will host the exercise are Lagos, Ibadan, Edo, Delta, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Kaduna and Abuja.
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