How Greensprings Kanu Football Camp impacts education, sports development in youths

In just a decade of its existence, the Greensprings Kanu Football Camp has impacted the education and sporting lives of young children through the promotion of sports at the grassroots.

Speaking recently about the impacts of the football camp, Uche Ogbu, chief strategy officer of Greensprings School, said the football Camp has become a hallmark, and its impacts have been felt at the state and national level.

According to him, the camp has European coaches who have trained over 200 Lagos State coaches and have gone on to impact the lives of children at the grassroots level.

“Also, five alumni of the camp have featured in the Under-17 team of Nigeria at some point, with the recent being the inclusion of Light Eke and Jubril Azeez in the 2023 squad for Under-17 AFCON,” he said.

The camp has also announced the commencement of the 10th edition of its annual Greensprings Kanu Football Camp.

The opening of the football camp is scheduled to take place from Sunday, April 7th, to Friday, April 12th, 2024, and top-gear preparations are already being put in place to mark its decade of transforming lives.

Meanwhile, Uche said that the participants will be coached by top football trainers from Europe and Nigeria and the camp’s most promising players will be awarded a full academic scholarship to study at Greensprings School.

“In the previous nine editions, over 2000 children have been trained and 13 children have been granted full scholarships to study at Greensprings School,” he said.

Commenting on what to expect, Ogbu said it promises to be even more captivating as the football camp would be a great opportunity for children to improve their skills in various aspects of the game, including dribbling, passing, shooting, ball control, and heading.

“European coaches from the Netherlands and representatives from the Lagos State Football Association will be on the ground to share their expertise and contribute to the participants’ growth. Former Nigerian footballer Kanu Nwankwo will also grace the occasion, providing motivational talks and inspiring the young talents to reach new heights in their football journeys,” he said.

The Greensprings Kanu Football Camp is an annual football camp organised by Greensprings School in collaboration with the Kanu Heart Foundation. The camp is designed for children both boys and girls between the ages of 5 and 17. It is a five-day intensive football training project, whereby children undergo mentorship from Kanu Nwankwo and some European coaches.