Anambra: Rojenny Stadium proprietor advocates grassroots sports development 

The Managing Director of Rojenny Stadium and Games Village, Rommy Ezeonwuka, has charged the Anambra Sports Development Commission (ASDC) to focus greater efforts on grassroots sports.

Ezeonwuka gave the charge in his congratulatory message to the commission’s Chairman, Patrick Onyedum, on his appointment.
Onyedum was appointed last week to head the commission by Gov. Chukwuma Soludo.
Ezeonwuka urged him to shun the lure of immediate glory which, he stated, would not be sustainable.
He advised him to rsther draw up a four-year development plan with a view to raising a new generation of stars in Anambra.

He further stated that the abandonment of school sports had retarded the progress of Anambra in sports.
According to him, bringing sports back to school should get priority attention of the new management of the commission under Onyedum.
“As a critical stakeholder in sports development in Nigeria and Anambra in particular, I want to congratulate Onyedum on his appointment.
“His job won’t be easy because bringing sports back to life is not an easy task.
“He has a lot to do but he has to start with reviving grassroots sports, which died about eight years ago, from the primary and secondary school levels.

“What we have had is a situation where players and athletes are gathered just to go to competitions and win medals.
“There is no structure on ground.
“So, the new chairman has to draw a blueprint that will guide him, so that in three to four years, we will begin to see sustainable results,” Ezeonwuka said.
He further urged Onyedum to activate the various sports associations in the state.
He admonished him to also ensure that the technical department of the commission was properly manned and regularly updated with the technicalities and rules of the various sports.

“I want to make Rojenny Stadium available for the state, it is an Olympic standard facility.
“It is sad that the facility I built about 40 years ago is idle because previous sports managers in Anambra lacked ideas of creating activities to keep it busy.
“Use the associations to develop sports and make sure coaches are trained and retrained.
“Use the available facilities to create activities where they exist,” he said.
Ezeonwuka thanked Soludo for appointing Onyedum, whom he described as a sportsman.
He appealed to the governor to provide the necessary funding to help him implement his programme, pointing out that sports are not a money yielding sector. (NAN)