The Plateau State Cricket Association, today 7th of May, 2024, presented to St Paul’s Anglican School, cricket training equipment as part of its collaboration with the Nigeria Cricket Federation’s “The Naija Kids Grassroots Development Program”.
The Chairman of Plateau State Cricket Association, Abu Alabi while making the presentation, said the program intends to start getting kids as young as four years to pick up cricket as a sport.
According to Alabi, “We intend to start picking kids from the age of 4 with this programme. As far as the kid can communicate, we will train the child.
“We have a benchmark; I gave my font desk officer who is our training officer to get me 4000 children that will learn how to play cricket in these 5 schools we are going to visit.
“And as I am talking to you now the awareness program going on in the country, Plateau State Cricket Association is leading in the mobilization of kids to play cricket.”
Reacting on why pick children at that age for training, the Plateau State Director of Sports, Prof. Ezra Gunen said, “Skill development is in stages first you have to develop the fundamental movement skills and we are using improvised equipment now, plastic to teach cricket.
“Plastic cannot cause injuries to the children. It will attract them. The colour of the materials, the colour of the balls will attract them.
“And as they engage in these activities, the capacity for I mean the fitness components of agility, balance, coordination, speed, timing, reaction time, are all developed and that will enable them as children learn faster. They learn very fast. And as they learn very fast when you introduce it to them as little kids, they’ll continue to perfect on the skills until they get to adulthood, and at adulthood, they will learn the rules and the regulations and play the game better.”
Lady Obiageli Enronobi, Head teacher of St Paul’s Anglican School while receiving the equipment, thanked the Association for choosing her school as one of those to benefit from the Federation’s Kids Grassroots Development Program.
She went further to say that they will not take it for granted and promised to take care of the equipment and produce future cricket stars from the school.
The kids were involved in a training session with Nigeria junior cricket international Queen John from Plateau state.