Nigeria has the reputation as one of the countries with the largest population of talented youths in the world. The country’s youths have shown through their exploits in music and hi-tech that given the right environment, they can rate among the best of their peers from other parts of the world.
In sports, especially football, Nigeria is said to have the largest exports of talents in the world outside Brazil and France. Some of these talented footballers are currently making waves in various European leagues, but for every known star out there in the UEFA Champions League or the Europa League, there are millions back in the country crying for opportunity to showcase their talents and earn money while playing the game.
Such opportunity is what a new outfit, African Ballers, has said it will provide for the country’s youths.
On Saturday, September 14, African Ballers will hold their maiden scouting programme in Lagos, where 40 talented youngsters will gather to display their skills to the whole world.
According to the founder of African Ballers, Gaurav Vaswani, the programme billed for the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan, Lagos, is a one against one challenge, where players from ages 16 to 25 will try to outwit one another, using all the approved, known and novel tricks in the game.
How does it work? Vaswani explains: “We have selected 40 youths from local teams by scrutinising over 300 videos they submitted to our panel.
“Among these players are a few professional players, but the majority are amateur players seeking attention and the opportunity to display their talents to a large audience.
“During the event, each individual player will try to outwit his opponent in a one-on-one skill challenge using such skills as nutmeg, leg overs and others in a small enclosed space. It is much different from what we see in the usual five-a-side game.”
Vaswani, an Indian, who has spent virtually all his life in Nigeria, said he was motivated to start the project because of the passion he has for football and the desire to give back to the society using a game he loves.
“Football has always been a big passion of my life and I have noticed that there are a great population of talented young Nigerians looking for the opportunity to utilise their skills for the good of their families and the country at large. We are looking at bridging this gap,” Vaswani said. He disclosed that at the end of the programme, the winners will get N500, 000 each, apart from the opportunity to be seen by audiences across the world.
“The winners will also be invited to every single tournament that we organise going forward, apart from the traction they will get online because we will be including them in every post we make in the social media.
“After this maiden outing, we will organise more and more events because the idea is to have a domino effect… It will start small and in the next few years grow into a big event across the continent and Africa.
“We plan to provide a window for players, some of who do regular nine to five jobs, to show the world that they are also talented in football. To achieve this, we have received tremendous support from our main partners, SACVIN Plastics, Royal Power and Energy Limited, Evolve and Ugee Chemicals,” he said.
He disclosed that the entry is free for the players, who will also get refreshments, jerseys and other material support at the venue and after the programme.
“We want to grow a platform for players, who want to develop their skills and earn a living with it. We want a situation where people will be looking forward to being part of African Ballers events because of the many benefits in it.
“There are many grassroots programmes across the country, but they are still not enough. You can imagine the impact these platforms will make on Nigerian football given the opportunity they provide for a hitherto neglected large number of the country’s population.”
Vaswani said that African Ballers aim to hold their events regularly, with two or three more holding this year, adding that there are also plans to extend it to other parts of the country and the continent.
“With time, we will expand to other African countries like Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire, among others. We can see a market that will grow because of the great talent in this continent.
“For now, we are concentrating in Lagos, but we will hold our programmes outside Lagos when we are sure we can find the logistics and the right partnership to execute is as successfully as we will in Lagos. I want whatever I am doing to be a success and so we can only do it outside Lagos when we have the logistics to make it successful.”
Apart from the football on the pitch, Vaswani said there would be room for people to come in and have their own booths and market their wares at the venue.
“We want to create a spectacle where people will buy tickets and enjoy themselves watching football skills on the field,” he said, adding that the project has the blessings of Lagos State government, which approved the the Mobolaji Johnson Arena for the maiden edition.
“We got the inspiration to start this project in Nigeria from similar events in Europe and the U.S. called ‘Rising Ballers, where 40 or 50 people come to compete one versus one.
“They have created YouTube channels to showcase football talents. And so when football scouts are looking for talents, they go to these pages, look at the videos and choose the players they want.
“I want my platform to be the site for every top Nigerian scout and scouts from all over the world looking for Nigerian talent.
“When we grow this platform and we have players, whose data can be seen by scouts, it will be easy for these scouts to take them to big clubs. That way, we will be helping to grow Nigeria’s football economy.
“I am trying to give something back to the community because Nigeria has given me a lot in the 27 tears of my life. I love it here in Nigeria and if I can give back through something I love like football, that would be great.”
