Founder and Managing Director of Daniel Ford International, Yemi Edun, has called for increased investment in grassroots sports development.

He argued that successful sporting nations must continuously strengthen their talent pipelines through early identification, structured competitions and sustained support for young athletes.

Edun, whose lifelong passion for sports began in Surulere, Lagos, said his experiences growing up around the National Stadium shaped his appreciation for the transformative power of sports.

“Successful sporting nations must continually strengthen their grassroots pipelines by identifying young talent, creating competitions and providing athletes with sustained support,” he said.

Reflecting on his childhood, Edun recalled how proximity to the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, exposed him to major sporting events and national teams at an early age.

“My journey in sport began in Surulere, Lagos, where football and other sporting activities were a major part of everyday life. Growing up close to the National Stadium meant that sport was never distant from me,” he said.

According to him, those formative experiences fostered a lifelong interest in sports, not only as a form of competition but also as a platform for community development and youth empowerment.

Edun said his passion for football continued after relocating to the United Kingdom, where he regularly attended live matches and developed a longstanding interest in international football competitions, particularly the FIFA World Cup.

He noted that he has attended nearly every edition of the FIFA World Cup since 2006, describing the tournament as an opportunity to experience different cultures and understand the unique ways host nations celebrate football.

Speaking on his recent experience at the 2026 FIFA World Cup matches hosted in Mexico, Edun said the atmosphere demonstrated the unifying power of sports.

“During Mexico’s match against Ecuador, I entered a stadium in which more than 80,000 supporters appeared to become one voice. Every tackle, every pass, every attack and every clearance was accompanied by an intensity that made the stadium itself seem to shake.

“People often speak about supporters being the ’12th man’, but this felt like much more than that. It felt like an entire nation expressing itself through football,” he said.

Beyond his interest in international sporting events, Edun said he has remained committed to supporting grassroots sports development in Nigeria, particularly in disciplines that receive limited commercial and institutional attention.

He highlighted his support for chess and table tennis, noting that targeted investment in youth development can produce significant results.

In chess, Edun has supported Nigerian chess player Deborah Quickpen and facilitated competitive opportunities aimed at promoting the growth of the sport. In table tennis, he said he has backed an international youth championship designed to identify and develop emerging talent.

“Our original objective was to discover and develop a new generation of Nigerian players capable of following in the footsteps of international star Quadri Aruna. However, the initiative began producing results much earlier than we expected,” he said.

He cited the emergence of Matthew Kuti as a national and regional champion as evidence that deliberate investment in grassroots sports can accelerate athlete development.

“By creating opportunities for young athletes to compete, develop confidence and gain exposure, we can shorten the distance between emerging talent and elite achievement,” Edun added.

He maintained that his journey in sports, from his childhood experiences in Surulere to attending successive World Cups and supporting young athletes, underscores the importance of sustained investment in grassroots sports development as a pathway to producing future champions