Former Super Eagles Goalkeeper, Peter Rufai, has called on parents to encourage their children to take to sports while still in school.
Rufai said combining the two careers could help children build their intellectual capacity.
He stated that education has a big role to play in developing children and help them succeed in sports.
The former Super Eagles captain, who is also the vice chairman of the Lagos Principal’s Cup committee explained that encouraging more youths and children to combine education with sports would build the abundant talents in the country into international stars of the future.
“Parents should please encourage their children to engage in sports while in school.
“Some people think that sports can disturb a child’s academics, but that is not true. I am a Masters degree holder and also a successful goalkeeper. Mixing sports with education widened my knowledge in the art of goalkeeping.
“I was able to get a better understanding of my positions and my reflexes, the timing of the range of shot, the distance and other attributes needed in goalkeeping because I studied hard.
“Sport in recent times is going scientific. Mixing sport with education helps to instill confidence and endurance on a child and gives room for him to be disciplined and focused to battle life challenges,” he said.
Meanwhile, Lagos State Football Association Chairman, Fouad Oki, has said that the association is working out modalities with ex-internationals to discover about 1,000 talented young goalkeepers through the state’s Principal’s Cup.
Oki declared that the talents discovered at the Principal’s Cup competition would be groomed and monitored as they progress in their studies.
“The Principal’s Cup will not only focus on outfield football players; goalkeepers will also be discovered. More talents need to be discovered to replace the older ones when they retire or lose form.
“We are creating a situation where outstanding talents at the Principal’s Cup will be given scholarships.We call on sponsors to join to make the competition successful.My dream is to see most of the children discovered in the Principal’s Cup play in any of the national teams in future,” he said.
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