By Emma Jemegah
One of the aspirants to the position of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) president, David Doherty has outlined a five-year roadmap for development in his seven-point agenda for the federation.
Doherty, a former player of the defunct Concord FC of Abeokuta, said “with a 5-year strategic plan, we can have a framework that will positively impact every community across the country. Everyone can win if all come together behind this vision to reverse the decline in our football infrastructure and foundation. In Nigeria, football must be a game where the opportunities to play are the same for everyone, and that everyone has access to a good pitch or facility to play wherever they live.
“To achieve the ambitions set out in a plan will require a continuously evolving organisation, the commitment of thousands of volunteers, the cooperation and support of our partners –sponsors, local authorities, national government, and the general sporting public along with clubs, leagues, referees and coaches.
He stressed that his vision is to bring all parts of the game closer together and to inspire the nation.
“We have a unique opportunity to unite all parts of our country, but also to reap the enormous social and economic benefits that are associated with the industry.
While unveiling his plan, Doherty said a strategic plan would be set out for delivering improvement in specific areas including players, clubs, leagues, facilities, international teams, organisation, grassroots and community programmes,
“The plan will be developed to reflect the views of the football community and the wider stakeholder base.
The priorities agreed will encompass the inputs of those stakeholders into a coherent and ambitious plan for the game.
“This will hugely depend on a wide range of people and organisations to realise this plan and these relationships will also be key in the NFF ability to grow and develop the game of football over the next five years,” he submitted.