Former star player of Lagos darling team, Stationery Stores, Taiwo Oloyede beamed from ear to ear and all smiles when he eventually landed his dream coaching certificate at the National Institute for Sport (NIS) Lagos, recently.
The former Nigerian youth international told whoever cares to listen how proud he was of his latest achievement while friends and family members joined him to snap commemorative photographs.
“It is a dream come true for me. I’ve been acting as a coach for many years and I’ve been advised to formalise it by attending the NIS,” began Oloyede. “In fact, some of my friends offered to sponsor me and here I am with my certificate. I am happy that my efforts have paid off and I am now a certified coach.”
Oloyede’s humble submission and exhilaration underbellies his status given that he broke into national limelight 30 years ago when he had become a cult hero in Stationery Stores of Lagos. He went on to captain Stores and the Flying Eagles briefly.
He, however, missed the famous ‘Dammam Miracle’ World Youth Championship hosted by Saudi Arabia no thanks to a last minute injury that kept him out of the history making Nigeria U-20 team.
In a conversation with TAIWO ALIMI, Oloyede speaks more about his career, growing up and life as a coach.
GROWING up
When I was growing up, the only thing I knew was football. This is because my father played the game and also administered it. We were always going to the stadium. All my siblings also played the game.
My father was team manager of Stationery Stores and in my family we wanted to grow up and play for the team. My father also served in the Ikeja Football Divisional Association as secretary.
While other youngsters played football for fun, I started seeing myself as a professional football from primary school. I played for Lagos Mainland Primary School, Fadeyi, and CMS Grammar School, Bariga. I enjoyed great popularity at school and everywhere I got to I was hailed as a star. And that made me want to play the game more. However, that time we did not play for money but for prestige. I remember that The Principal Cup (Football competition for secondary schools in Lagos) was a big thing in my time. As members of the school team you have privileges that you enjoy and it is a big thing when you win the competition.
Stationery Stores
I think those things I enjoyed at school football made me throw in everything into football. By the time I left secondary school, clubs were waiting to sign me on and even gave me a job. I was placed on salary while playing for IBWA, one of the biggest clubs in Lagos in our era. There is also NEPA FC of Lagos, but all the while, Stationery Stores was the biggest club in Lagos and my dream was to play for Stores. Unlike today when you see youths and adults craving for Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea, we followed local clubs like Stores, NEPA, Shooting Stars and Bendel Insurance. I was a Stores supporter and sometimes I cried whenever my team lost to a rival team. Eventually I was signed up by Stores and later captained my childhood team too.
I played for Stores for five years and the team was really hot that time with players like Ike Shorunmu, Ganiyu Ajide, Sunday Ilevbare, Wasiu Adetoro and Hakeem Ogunlana. We won many stories among them, the national league, FA Cup and got to the semi-finals of the CAF Champions League losing to Zamalek of Egypt in 1993.
Playing for the national team
By the time I joined Stores and became a regular player, I knew playing for the national team was just a matter of time because the team paraded some of the best players in the country.
In 1989, I was invited to the junior national team, the Flying Eagles, and would have been part of the Nigerian team to the World Youth Championship that year if injury had not stopped me. I am sure I would have made the team because I was playing well and coach (Tunde) Disu was disposed to me making the final team. But it was not to be as I cropped an injury in training and that was the end of the tournament for me.
Memorable games
In 1988, Stores was battling relegation and we had a game against ACB of Lagos. I scored and we won the game and escaped relegation that year. I also recalled the winning goal for Julius Berger in the 1996 FA Cup final against Katsina United scoring the lone goal of the match.
Botched professional football career
I had a couple of trials abroad but they did not click. One of them was put together by Segun Odegbami and it would have been it for me if it had worked out. Then the injury came in and age was no longer on my side. I’ve been through a lot since I stopped playing. But football is all I know so I’ve been offering myself to impact the younger ones. I must thank God for keeping me till now because some of my mates are dead. Some are not up to what I am worth, so I give glory to God for who I am today, most especially for my fame. Everywhere I go today people recognise and hail me. I may not have all the money but I am very comfortable.
I also believe that with this certificate I can get a good club that would pay me better or national assignment. Football is my life.
Maybe I would have been a banker or a lawyer today because I enrolled at university while playing for IBWA but I was too engrossed with football and had to give up schooling all together. At that time, what I wanted to do was play football. Maybe education would have helped because I retired early and would have provided something to fall back on, but life must go on. That is why I returned to the classroom to get a coaching certificate and I am happy I took that decision. It is never too late to take a step back, evaluate yourself and readdress your life.
My girls playing the game
I have three children; a boy and two girls – but it is the girls that have shown interest in playing football and I am encouraging them.
Coaching course
It is the best to happen to me. It is a dream come true for me. I’ve been acting as a coach for many years and I’ve been advised to formalise it by attending the NIS. In fact, some of my friends offered to sponsor me and here I am with my certificate. I am happy that my efforts have paid off and I am now a certified coach. Now I can go for the big coaching jobs.
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