From Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin
The Deputy Governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, yesterday, unveiled Wemimo Matthew as the new head coach for Edo Queens Football Club with a charge to return the female team to its old days.
Shaibu who supervised the unveiling ceremony at the New Festival Hall, mandated the coach to put her wealth of experience to transform the team.
According to him, what we’ve done with Edo Queens, was to make it a model for the girl-child to look up to.
“So we decided to unveil a new head coach because of our performance in the just concluded Super six was poor.
” And management immediately said that we need a new coach that can groom young talents.
“Coach Wemimo Matthew is well educated with very high discipline which we are already seeing in the team since her arrival.
” Some players had already been decamped due to wrong hair style.
“She will help us to develop young talent, she is going to work with all the 18 Local Government Areas of the state to scout for young talent. We are blending sports with education.
“We are one state that upgraded the female team with the male team. We encourage our players to be good ambassador of the state, they must strive to be the best, we will support them with all necessary logistics.
“We are interested in seeing them playing abroad, we are also interested in monitoring their contracts if they signed for foreign team.
” We want to see out players makes 80 per cent of our national team, he said.
He disclosed that the Bendel Insurance Football Club of Benin would no longer participate in the Nigeria National League (NNL) until Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) address the issue between Insurance and Remo Stars Football Club of Ogun State.
In her remarks, the newly unveiled coach, Wemimo thanked Edo government for founding her worthy for the appointment, adding that she was going to make them proud.
“I am short of words, it’s an honour, this is the first time am seeing a female team being given such support and attention from state government.
I am very happy to be here, I am going to give my best for the team, she said.