Over 800 Young Footballers Battle For Breakthrough At ABT Scouting Programme In Kaduna

More than 800 young footballers from 15 academies are competing for recognition at the ongoing ABT Football Academy Scouting Programme in Kwoi, Kaduna State, in a major grassroots talent identification exercise.

The programme, which began on Monday and is expected to end on Saturday, is providing aspiring footballers from Southern Kaduna with an opportunity to showcase their abilities before local and international scouts.

Chairman of ABT Football Academy, Alhamdu Bala, expressed satisfaction with the turnout, describing the initiative as a significant opportunity for young players who have limited access to established football development structures.

“This is the first time we are organising such a grassroots scouting programme in Southern Kaduna, and the response has been very encouraging,” Bala told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

He said the academy remained committed to creating pathways for talented youngsters to develop their careers, while appreciating Argentine international scout Marcelo Houseman for supporting the initiative and travelling to Nigeria to assess emerging talents.

“Marcelo’s presence has added tremendous value to this programme. We believe some of these young players can attract opportunities beyond Nigeria,” Bala said.

Houseman, a renowned Argentine scout, said the exercise had already yielded positive results, with more than 10 promising players identified.

“The players we have discovered are very good, and some of them are eligible to play for the U-17 and U-20 national teams,” Houseman told NAN.

The scout said he intended to discuss the discoveries with Nigeria’s U-17 coach, Manu Garba, to ensure the players received opportunities to prove themselves at national level.

“I will speak with coach Manu Garba about these players because they deserve to be given an opportunity to play for the Golden Eaglets as well as the Flying Eagles,” he said.

Houseman said the exercise had once again highlighted the depth of football talent across Nigeria and Africa, stressing that many gifted players only needed the right platform to be discovered.

“There are so many undiscovered talents across Africa. The continent is blessed with gifted footballers who only need the right opportunities,” he said.

The Argentine scout said his passion for grassroots football had taken him to several African countries in search of players capable of reaching the highest levels of the sport.

He cited several players he said he had identified or worked with during his scouting career, including Odion Ighalo, Obinna Nsofor, Solomon Okoronkwo and Christian Ebere.

He also mentioned South African football figures Lucas Radebe, Doctor Khumalo, John Moshoeu and Philemon Masinga, while describing Shabani Nonda as one of his most significant discoveries.

“But my biggest discovery of all was Shabani Nonda. His rise to the top remains one of my proudest achievements in football scouting,” Houseman said.

He explained that his primary objective in Nigeria was to identify young players with the potential to progress from grassroots football to professional clubs in Nigeria and abroad.

“I am in Nigeria to make new discoveries. There are future stars here waiting to be found, developed and given the right opportunities,” he added.

ABT Academy coach, Alex Bature, said the programme was designed to expose the participating players to professional assessment while creating a pathway for them to attract the attention of scouts.

“Our objective is to give these players a pathway. We want their talent to be seen, assessed and developed in the right environment,” Bature said.

He added that the presence of established football personalities had further motivated the players and generated considerable interest among football enthusiasts in Southern Kaduna.

The scouting programme continues with players undergoing assessments by coaches and scouts from Nigeria and abroad, with organisers hoping to uncover talents capable of progressing to professional clubs and Nigeria’s youth national teams.