Lagos – Tunde Popoola, a board member of the Nigeria Hockey Federation (NHF), says lack of artificial hockey turfs is responsible for the slow pace of the game in the country.
Popoola, who is also the Chairman, Lagos State Hockey Association, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lagos that the availability of standard turfs would go a long way to rekindling the passion of athletes for the game.
He stated that the country is blessed with talented players that can compete favourably with their foreign counterparts.
• Cue in audio
“I think the major challenge that we have in Nigeria is that (lack) of facility, when you go to any National Sports Festival in those days, up to this last one, if you compare what happened then and now you discover that in those days we have the largest contingent in any sports.
“Because then we have the men and the women, football never had the women in national festival.
“So, hockey used to have the majority of people coming to the national festival and it’s always very stiff competition.
“In Africa, we were really good then but that was on grass.
“ Immediately, the artificial turf issue came and we were not having the facility, is a complete different ball game.[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”70560″]
“The whole thing sank, because you can’t play on grass and think you want to beat somebody who was been born playing on artificial turf. It’s a different ball game entirely.
“What is really bringing it not to the front now is the fact that until we have that artificial turf enthusiasm of people will continue to wane.
“But young ones still want to play, they still enjoying it, but really the artificial turf thing is a key element.’’
• Cue out audio (NAN)