A former Youth Sport Federation of Nigeria (YSFON) star, Awoala Kpunpamo, has said that with the proper grooming of the abundant grassroots talents in the country, the various national teams will have committed and dedicated footballers that can bring glory to the nation.
Kpunpamo, who won the Norway youth tournament three times with YSFON team and emerged as the highest goal scorer on two occasions, said the Bayelsa Football Academy (BFA), which he operates in Yenagoa, is to help scout for grassroots talents and help them develop their career.
Kpunpamo said already, some of his players have been signed by the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) side, Bayelsa United.
He said more clubs in Nigeria and abroad are also interested in engaging the young talents he is training in the academy.
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“Floating a football academy is my own way of saying thank you to the society which gave me so much as a young boy playing football in the streets of Yenagoa back then.
“I played grassroots football in Nigeria before moving over to the United Kingdom. I have played for Brantford town, Halefield town, North Greenford etc. These are non-league sides. We played among counties like local governments and the FA cups,” he said.
Kpunpamo said his academy has engaged the services of former FA Cup winners, Chigozie Christopher as head coach and Teddy Blancko as goalkeeper trainer.
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