By Saheed Afolabi
Sports stakeholders have charged the organised private sector (OPS) to invest in the grassroots sports for the development of the sector.
According to them, grassroots sport is one of the sectors which requires urgent attention of the private sector.
A Basketball Coach, Shakirudeen Afunku, said if properly harnessed, grassroots sport is a sector that is lucrative, which needs to be focusses and funded by the private sector.
He noted that apart from being a business, financing the sector would equally help numerous talented young athletes waiting for opportunities to actualise their dreams.
He analysed the aspects where investors could put their money to include building of sport centers and provision of facilities needed to aid the development of sports, sponsoring of local footballers and other athletes, sponsoring of tournaments at the grassroots which could be televised and through which other business owners could advertise their products and services and others.
He said investing in the grassroots sports would also encourage and boost the morale of athletes to give their best.
“Grassroots clubs play a vital role in their local community. Not only do they help people stay fit and healthy, they also develop an individual sporting talents as well as promoting unity among athletes at the grassroots. Apart from that, grassroots sports are hidden business avenue for the businessmen to make fortune.
“It’s high time the private sector tapped into the enormous wealth inherent in the grassroots sports by investing in grassroots athletes and by building sport facilities to house the athletes so that they could remain focussed.
“I believe if the necessary infrastructures are put in place to aid the development of grassroots sport, it will serve as an avenue for the private sector to make money when athletes are exported to other countries.
“The private participants should ensure proper funding of the sector to execute some projects in terms of exposing the athletes at the grassroots to different competitions both home and abroad. This will serve as a motivation for the athletes to work harder and make them to be on the same competitive level with international athletes and also attract more investors to the grassroots” Afunku said.
Afunku noted that Brazil makes money from sports just because more investments are put into the grassroots which he described as the shaping point of athletes.
He said he believed that such feat could also be achieved in Nigeria if the right structure is put in place.
Another stakeholder, Bolarinwa Babalola, said grassroots sport sector is a goldmine which is being neglected by private investors.
He noted that the reason the private investors are not looking inward to the grassroots sports is that government has not developed it to attract investors.
He therefore urged the government to expose the sector to the private investors.
