By Amaechi Agbo
One of Nigeria’s leading sports for change NGO, CSED (Community Sport and Educational Development) Initiative recently held a two-day seminar on netball for P.E. Teachers in Port Harcourt, Rivers State Capital.
The training which commenced on 26 through 27 February 2025, held in collaboration with the Airforce Secondary School, Airforce Base Rumuomasi, Port-Harcourt,
The training is part of “Project 2027,” which is CSED Initiative’s quest to provide Nigerian school children and youths access to learn and play the game of netball in a safe space.
Netball is the only sport in the world that is specifically designed for girls and women. CSED Initiative sees the game of netball as an important tool that could be used to promote the general health and well-being of the girl child, as well as empower them to blend sport with their academic pursuit. However, in line with Netball World goal of promoting the inclusivity of the game, two secondary schools in Nigeria, Tare Pet School Yenagoa and C.S.C.S.
Itam currently have boys’ netball teams, alongside their female netball team.
35 participants from various secondary schools including the Nigeria Navy secondary, Army Day Secondary School, private and public secondary schools, in the city, as well as two Cameroonian refugees who represented the Cameroonian community that are based in Adagom 3, Camp in Ogoja local government area. The training was facilitated by coaches Edema Fuludu, Funsho Ekundayo and Onome Fuludu.
These coaches were supported by Deborah Bakari (a University of Benin Student) who has been playing netball in the past four years in Uhoghua (Benin City). Some volunteers like Gold Dappa-Wogu also benefited from this free netball training that uses a training manual that was developed by Ambassador Mary Waya (a Netball Africa certified instructor). The trained netball coaches were provided with free T-shirts that were donated by Lord’s Taverners (a UK based charity).
The newly trained coaches were first taught the importance of safeguarding and safety in the sports environment which was covered by coach Onome Fuludu a graduate of Guidance and Counselling, who is also a qualified safeguarding practitioner. His presentation focused on the importance of sporting and educational authorities ensuring that students and athletes are supported to take part in sports in a safe environment.
The new netball coaches were also provided with additional access to free online safeguarding training.
This was followed by the basics of the game, netball rules, applications of the rules, how to mark a netball court, the different netball positions, as well as the roles that are attached to these positions. Warming-up, passing the ball, throwing the ball, the restriction of the movement of players in certain parts of the netball court, practicing of how to throw the ball and how to score were also covered. This was then followed by a practice game between the new coaches who were divided into team blue and team purple.
The Commandant of the Airforce Secondary School, Port Harcourt, Wing Commander Nasir Adamu who was instrumental in bringing CSED Initiative to Port Harcourt stated that he was very pleased to see an NGO who has passion for carrying out developmental and empowerment programmes that are targeted at the girl child.
He urged the participants to take advantage of the training and become reliable coaches in a sport that is being revived in Nigeria. He also stated that he will visit the schools to monitor progress and use of the freely donated netball starter packs (a pair of netball rims/nets. finger held whistles, two sets of netball training bibs, and netball balls) to the representatives of the participating schools.
CSED National Coordinator, Edema Fuludu used the opportunity to inform participants that the game will soon become a National Sports Festival event and urged them to be serious and as enthusiastic as they have exhibited during the two days training event. The new netball coaches take the number of trained netball coaches under “Project 2027” by CSED Initiative to 411.
