Catching the children for their involvement at young age in sport is pivotal to the development and building for proper structure of sports in nigeria. The President of Provazios Sports Academy, Mr. Segun Solanke, in an interview with Dotun Omisakin, shared the essence of early child participation in sports
Que: Can you help narrate the genesis of Provazios Sports Academy?
We started Provazios sports academy basically because we wanted to groom children but the genesis of Provazios sports academy started from Olumo United which a football club playing in the Nigerian league.
On playing the league, we notice some little hitches where and there which buoy down to the grooming of players and we now decided that the best for us to do is to go back to the basis, go back to the start and pick the children up, let them have all that it takes to be a better player; the right age and the right mentality. That was gave birth to Provazios sports Academy.
Que: Result so far?
The result is quite fantastic, encouraging, all the children are enjoying themselves, our trainings are three times a week; Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. It is quite fantastic; you see the enthusiasm; they are ready to listen; they are ready to be shaped.
The coaches are also up to the task. Our believe and hope are that in the very future now, we should be seeing some of them that we will be chunking out into the main league and definitely go up from there into the international stage.
Que: It is obvious that your academy does other sports, can you help explain?
Provazios sports academy, in fairness, what we decided to do is that rather than just concentrate on just football like everybody does, then there is no hope for other sports. So, we are actually looking at every sport available, so be it football, basketball, karate, dance, long tennis, table tennis swimming, here at Provazios sports we have it all.
Que: Sports before now use to be the major avenue downtrodden to make survival, but now we see well to do children involve in sports, so what has changed over time?
What change is the talent, so whether you are from well to do or less privilege, you have a talent, so what do you do with your talent? So that is the only idea, so where at Provazios sports academy, everybody is equal, so come with your talent, play with your talent, excel with your talent and the sky is your starting point.
Que: What is your future for sports in Nigeria?
For me, sport is the ultimate and I believe that if we can builds sports in Nigeria to the highest level, then we can be sure that we will get it right because it seizes the children, so you mold them from that child hood, so they become children that you want to mingle with, they become excelled adult eventually. For me, it is to get to the peak of sport in Nigeria and make sport the bedrock for a greater Nigeria.
Que: How do you manage their academics and involvement in sports?
So basically, what we have done which is the reason we have just to remain on sport for now, so they go to school and they are here on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and we don’t teach them just the sports only, we also teach them the reality of life. How to be the right child, not just to your family but to the government as well. Those kinds of treatment are what we teach them so that eventually when they grow and leave our academy, they will be able to be the kind of adult eventually at that time.
Que: What is your general view of the structure in place for young ones to grow sport wise in Nigeria?
We still have a long way to go, sport is still like a back burner to the government, so they need a lot to do to let the children know that they have their interest at heart. So, once upon a time, when we were growing, we have different championships from football, athletics, long tennis table tennis and they kept us engaged and when you get engaged you will think better and right now the best thing, the Nigerian government can do is make sure that they look at sport in country as a tool for greater Nigeria for the future.
Que: At what age should a child get engage in sports?
For me, I will say from 2, from 2, whatever you feel the child can do sport wise, just put the child there, they might be fumbling at that age, but give them another 1,2,3 years, by the time they get to the age like 5 , they are already a whole better.