The Director-General of the Lagos State Sports Commission, Lekan Fatodu, says the state will maintain its focus on grassroots sports development through continuous training of Games Masters and Physical Education teachers, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of a three-day “Train the Trainer” clinic for cricket at the University of Lagos Cricket Oval, Fatodu emphasised the state’s commitment to developing sports from the school level.
“What we are trying to do is improve the skills of our experts, particularly in schools. Right now, we are very focused on developing sports, not just from the grassroots; we are going back to school,” the LSSC boss said.
The clinic, which ran from October 31 through November 2, 2024, brought together over 30 Games Masters and Physical Education teachers of different schools across the state.
The participants were trained on cricket fundamentals and basic techniques needed to effectively introduce the sport to students.
“We are pooling Games Masters together in a refresher course in different sporting areas. We are doing the clinic around cricket so that we can improve their skills and have a better understanding of youth development and trends in sports,” Fatodu added.
The LSSC Director-General, who observed practice games during the clinic, described the initiative as part of the developmental processes contributing to sustainable growth of sports at the school level.
He urged participants to take the lessons learnt seriously to effectively teach their students the values associated with cricket, while assuring that the state would continue to support similar initiatives to boost school sports development.
The clinic was designed by the Lagos State Sports Commission to equip physical education teachers, who serve as the first point of contact for students, with necessary cricket coaching skills.
