3rd edition of the NPFL-LaLiga coaching clinic officially kicks off with over 60 coaches in Abuja

The coaching clinic is designed to train youth coaches on how to properly develop and manage young talents using the La Liga methodology

The third edition of the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) and La Liga coaching clinic for Nigerian youth coaches officially kicked off at the National Stadium, Abuja yesterday with over 60 coaches in attendance.

The coaching clinic is designed to train youth coaches on how to properly develop and manage young talents using the La Liga methodology.

The five-day clinic, which ends on January 25th, officially precedes the NPFL U-15 Promises Tournament scheduled to start in April across different locations in Nigeria.

Present at the opening ceremony were League Management Company (LMC) Chief Operating Officer, Salihu Abubakar; Managing Director La Liga Nigeria, Javier Del Río; and La Liga coaching instructors, Juanjo Guerra and José Ángel García.

Speaking at the press conference, La Liga Nigeria Managing Director, Javier Del Rio said, “We believe that this program is key to the development of grassroots football in Nigeria, and the fact that we are at the third edition shows a lot. We are now at the advanced model for the coaches and I believe they will benefit strongly from this. We truly believe that this clinic and the U-15 tournament coming up in a few months will really help with the development of football in Nigeria. We are bringing top international coaches from Spain to help achieve this."

LMC Chief Operating Officer, Salihu Abubakar said, “We are excited to officially kick off the third edition of the coaching clinic. Last year’s edition was a great success, and this is a continual of the past editions. The first model we did was the foundation model, last year we had the intermediate model, and this year we are kicking off the advanced model. Today marks another great day in our partnership with LaLiga, as they are the best league in the world, and we too aspire to be the best.”

The NPFL-La Liga partnership was signed in 2016 and has since recorded a number of exchange projects between the two leagues, including a tour of Spain by an NPFL All-Star team, the opening of the La Liga Nigeria office in Abuja, and the U-15 tournament.