West Ham officials arrive in Nigeria for talent hunt

NPFL side, FC Ifeanyi Ubah, which is the first African partner of West Ham United FC of England, will this week host the London-based club in Lagos and Nnewi in a bid to take the partnership between both football clubs to the next level.

Top executives at West Ham United led by the Managing Director, Angus Kinnear and President of FC Ifeanyi Ubah, Dr. Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah, will today unveil the blueprint that will guide the hunt for the next Nigerian superstar.

The project, which aims to identify talented kids between the ages of six and 15, will kick off in December with coaches and scouts of West Ham United in regular attendance to offer technical support throughout the duration of the project. Selected kids will be enrolled into Ifeanyi Ubah football academy with the aim of harnessing their talents, thus providing West Ham United with a pool of talented players to pick from on a quarterly basis.

FC Ifeanyi Ubah recently signed a long term partnership with West Ham United in August that will see the two football clubs join forces on a number of football-related projects led by FC Ifeanyi Ubah, from best-practice coaching initiatives to establishing grass
roots football programmes in Nigeria, all with a view to improving the standard of football across the region.

Speaking to newsmen at the weekend in Lagos, Dr. Ubah explained the aim of the ‘Talent Hunt Programme’  and how that will metamorphose to a football Academy run by both West Ham United FC and FC Ifeanyi Ubah.

“Our discussions since the unveiling of this historic partnership has always been centred on football development, with the discovery of future football stars in a country so rich in football talents waiting to be harnessed top on the priority list.