The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Camp

  • Prime extends players close camping

    Prime extends players close camping

    The management of Nigeria National League side, Prime Football Club, has extended the players close-camping exercise by another week.

    Players and officials of the team have been in camp for a fortnight at National Youths Development Centre, Ode-Omu, for intensive pre-season and screening exercise.

    The team was due to end the close-camping on tomorrow, but a statement from the club’s spokesman, Tunde Shamsudeen, stated that the extention is to enable for proper blending of the new and old players so as to have a formidable team ahead of the tentative December 7, league kick off date.

    The former Anambra United media officer, stressed that the team will use the one week extention to improve on the team game, and for the players to receive the technical and functional training for basic skills, along with position play.

    He said the old and new players will be subjected to developmental drills, focusing on coordination and understanding of their roles as a player. Prime has played nine pre-season friendly matches won five, drew three and lost one.

  • Eagles open CHAN camp December

    Eagles open CHAN camp December

    Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi has disclosed he plans to open his training camp for the 2014 CHAN in the first week of December.

    Nigeria will be making its debut in the CHAN championship which is billed for next year in South Africa.

    “I am looking at the first week of December for us to open the CHAN camp,” he said

    “But you know it’s my employers that would have the final say. So, I am hoping that all things being equal in December we would begin so that we can at least have four weeks of intensive preparation for the CHAN.”

    Nigeria are drawn against hosts South Africa, Mali and Mozambique in the first round.

    The competition specially for players in their respective local leagues will kick off on January 16.

    Already an Eagles team drawn from the local league are due to take on Jordan in a friendly on Monday as part of the preparations for the CHAN.

  • Omeruo hits camp March 18

    Omeruo hits camp March 18

    • Nigerian in good display for Den Haag on Saturday

    ADO Den Haag of Holland defender, Kenneth Omeruo will arrive in Nigeria latest on Monday 18th March, 2013 ahead of the Super Eagles’ World Cup qualifier against the Harambee Stars of Kenya slated for Calabar on March 23rd.

    A close confidant of the player, who does not want his name in print, said the Chelsea of England star who has been on loan in Holland for the past two seasons would strive to hit Nigeria on Sunday or Monday after honouring his club’s Match Day 27 home fixture with Vitesse this Saturday.

    The teen sensation was in the victorious Eagles team that landed the nation her third AFCON trophy at South Africa 2013.

    He has been in dazzling form for club and country since making his debut for Nigeria against Spanish regional side, Catalonia FC.

    On Saturday Omeruo featured for the entire duration of the game as Den Haag battled to a 1-1 away draw at AZ Aikmaar.

    The feat shot Den Haag to 7th on the Dutch Eredivisie Table after 26 games. They leapfrogged former occupants of the position, NEC Nijmegen who were upset by Heracles 1-0. Den Haag have 36 points from as many games played.

  • Oyo State Director of Sports declares national baseball camp open

    Oyo State Director of Sports declares national baseball camp open

    The national training camp of Nigeria’s U-12 baseball team has been officially declared open by the Directors of sports, Oyo State Sports Council Mr. Olugbenga Makinde.

    The seasoned administrator promised the team that Governor Ibikunle Amosun led government would leave no stone unturned to make sure that they perform well in the championship stating that Oyo state can pride itself as the baseball capital of the nation.

    He advised the players to put in their best in other to make the country proud in Taipei, China in July adding that the government at the federal and state levels should give due attention to sports because of it huge benefits.

    The Technical Adviser of the baseball federation, Coach Hall charged the players to listen to instructions and follow through. He reminded them that they are privileged to represent Nigeria in a World Cup for baseball.

    Hall further promised that the technical team will need to work very hard because the countries that are likely to qualify for 12-nation competition would be very tough baseball nations. He finally acknowledged that they must work inside and outside the camp, mastering drills and perfecting game situations.

    Nigeria team is expected to meet stiff oppositions like United States, Japan, Taiwan and Cuba.

    Meanwhile, two new Coaches have joined the camp from Ilorin; they are Coach Influence Gwede and Coach Adamson Shuaib.

  • Eagles camp reopens first week of March

    Eagles camp reopens first week of March

    The Super Eagles will in the first week of March resume camping for the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Kenya, which is slated for the U. J. Esuene Stadium, Calabar on Saturday, 23rd March, 2013.

    Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) General Secretary, Barrister Musa Amadu confirmed on Tuesday that the home boys will hit camp two weeks before the arrival of the overseas-based professionals one week to the crucial game.

    “Now that we are the champions of Africa, we know that every team will prepare much harder whenever they are to play Nigeria. We don’t want to leave ourselves open to any sucker punch. Getting to the top and staying there requires a lot of hard work,” Amadu said.

    Super Eagles’ Head Coach Stephen Keshi is expected to release the list of his pick for the match after a meeting with the NFF Technical Committee.

    African champions Nigeria currently top the Group F of the African series for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil, with four points from a 1-0 home defeat of Namibia and a 1-1 draw against Malawi in Blantyre in June 2012.

  • Eagles camp open Feb. 24

    Eagles camp open Feb. 24

    The Board of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has decided to put the triumph at the Africa Cup of Nations aside, and begin preparation for the World Cup Africa qualifiers slated for Saturday march 23rd in Calabar against Kenya.

    According to the Federation, the home-based players will begin camping on Sunday February 24 in Abuja.

    They would later be joined by their foreign counterparts. Quoting the words of Emeka Inyama, a Board member: “From the programme submitted by the Technical Crew, the camping for home boys will start few weeks before the foreign based professionals arrive.

    “The NFF will put all arrangements in place for this, and for the World Cup qualifiers away to Kenya and Namibia in June, at home to Malawi in September and for the two-leg knock out against another country in october and November 2013.”

    He said that the team would need to prove that their winning in South Africa was not a fluke afterall.

  • Baseball federation invite 40 players to camp

    Baseball federation invite 40 players to camp

    No fewer than 40 players have been invited by the Nigeria Baseball and Softball Association (NBSA) to camp, for the 2nd International Baseball Federation (IBAF) U-12 championship billed for Taipei, in July.

    Olajide Abidoye, the team Manager of NBSA, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday on telephone, that the camp will hold from Feb. 18 to Feb. 26 in Ibadan, Oyo State.

    “The players are being invited to the first phase of the camp, ahead of our preparations for the IBAF U-12 competition scheduled for July in Taipei, Taiwan. The 40 players we have invited are expected to resume camp in Ibadan on Feb. 18, for the technical crew to work with,’’the NBSA team manager said.

    Abidoye told NAN that 20 players would be selected out of the 40 players at the end of the second phase of the programme in March.

    “At the end of the second camp phase in March, 20 of the best players will be eventually selected to represent the country at the competition,’’ he added.

    The IBAF U-12 championship is the 2nd edition of the prime category (budding talents) to develop and foster the growth of the sport around the world.

  • Eaglets’ camp opens today in Calabar

    Eaglets’ camp opens today in Calabar

    The National Under-17 team will open their preparatory camp in Calabar today, ahead of the 10th African Under-17 Championship to be hosted in Morocco in April.

    The self-styled new Nigeria Golden Eaglets under coach Manu Garba, who qualified for the championship last December after winning their six qualifying matches, have been drawn against two West African rivals, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire and 2011 second runner-up, Congo-Brazzaville at the championship to be held between April 13 and 27.

    Team secretary Tayo Egbaiyelo, said the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has directed that the 30 invited players as well as the technical and backroom staff should report to the team’s Princeville Hotel Camp in Calabar today.

    Already the Golden Eaglets have been drawn in Group B for the 2013 CAF U-17 Championship in Morocco. Other teams in the group include Ghana, Congo and Cote d’ Ivoire.

    Eaglets are the team to beat, as they scored a total of 21 goals, and conceded one in their qualifier series.

  • Ambrose will be late to camp

    Ambrose will be late to camp

    CELTIC defender Efe Ambrose will join the late arrivals from the EPL at the Faro training camp on January 5.

    Officials have already disclosed that English Premier League trio of Mikel Obi, Victor Moses and Shola Ameobi will be the last players to join the Eagles squad in Portugal on January 5.

    “I cannot confirm right now on when I would hit camp because we have a game on January 2 after which I will discuss with the club,” he told MTNFootball.com

    “But I think at the latest I should already be in camp by January 5.”

    The central defender said he believes all the players on the 32-man squad deserve their call-ups.

    “Everybody on the list deserves to be there, that is why the coach invited them. I am happy I am on the list, but the most important thing is that we know what Nigerians want and we are ready to give a 120 per cent,” he said.

    “As for those not on the list, I would (not? ed.) like to say anything about that but the coach would have his reasons and like you know, the coach has the final say.”

  • American singer rekindles hope in Bayelsa relief camp

    American singer rekindles hope in Bayelsa relief camp

    Popular American gospel artiste, Dr Juanita Bynum, yesterday visited displaced persons in Bayelsa state.

    Bynum was led to the relief camp at the Samson Siasia Stadium and Bishop Dimeari Grammar School in Yenagoa by Governor Seriake Dickson.

    Dickson stated the magnitude of the flood was beyond the capacity of the state and Federal Governments.

    Donor agencies and well-meaning organisations, he said, will have to help cope with the challenges arising from the devastation across the state.

    He explained Bynum was in the state to assess the situation of things and noted she was passionate about the wellbeing of humanity.

    Describing her as a worthy friend and partner, he urged the gospel artiste to be the state’s ambassador by telling the Bayelsa story to the world as well as do her best to bring succor to the people.

    Bynum assured the flood victims of her support through the provision of relief materials such as clothing, food and medical supplies.

    She said she has never taken up any cause before in her life but feels compelled having seen the conditions of the victims.

    Bynum rendered special songs to the delight of the displaced persons.