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*PFA Chairman Pledges Support For NIS North Central As Professional Sports Education Initiative Gains Momentum On The Plateau*
The Chairman of the Plateau Football Association (PFA), Hon. Dr. Prince Suleiman Yahaya Kwande, has reaffirmed the association’s commitment to coach education and capacity building, expressing readiness to collaborate with the National Institute for Sports (NIS) North Central Centre to improve the standard of football coaching and sports administration in Plateau State.
Speaking during an interactive session with the North Central Coordinator of the National Institute for Sports, Joseph Kamlong Gabriel, at the PFA Secretariat, Hon. Kwande said the PFA had already planned to engage the institute to better understand the requirements for enrolling its coaches in professional training programmes.
“We were actually planning to meet you to ask about the prerequisites for registration so that I can brief my people. Coach education is something we consider very important. When I came on board, I made it a priority to ensure that our coaches receive proper tactical and professional training. That’s why we decided to register with the National Institute for Sports,” he said.
Hon Kwande described the establishment of the NIS North Central Centre in Jos as a welcome development, noting that many coaches within the association stand to benefit from the institute’s programmes.
“It seems our prayers have been answered because we have many coaches who would benefit from this opportunity. We understand you are also planning a programme in Abuja, and we would appreciate receiving the details as soon as possible so that we can formally write to the ALGON chairman and make arrangements to participate. We want to take full advantage of the programme,” Dr. Kwande added.
The PFA Chairman also sought clarification on the operational status of the North Central Centre, asking what challenges were delaying its full take-off despite the availability of office accommodation.
Responding, the North Central Coordinator of the National Institute for Sports, Joseph Kamlong Gabriel, explained that although the centre has secured office space, additional support is required before full academic and administrative operations can commence.
“While we have secured office space, there are still a number of requirements needed for full operational take-off. We are engaging the Plateau State Government and other stakeholders to provide the necessary support so that the centre can begin operation effectively and deliver quality training programmes,” Gabriel said.
He expressed optimism that with the necessary government backing and stakeholder collaboration, the Jos centre would begin delivering professional training programmes that will benefit coaches, sports administrators, fitness professionals and other stakeholders across the North Central region.
The engagement underscores a growing commitment by sports administrators in Plateau State to invest in professional development, strengthen coaching standards and build the human capacity needed to advance football and sports development in the state and across Nigeria.
Credit: Nathaniel Mobolade, SSI media
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