Kwara Football Academy (KFA), an initiative of the Former Kwara State Governor, Dr. Bukola Saraki was opened by the President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Issau Hayatou in 2005 to discover young soccer talents in Nigeria and the rest of Africa and make them better persons in the society. The academy’s focus is on skill development. It is open to all regardless of place of origin.The academy currently has seven coaches who are all former international football players with coaching certificates.
The Kwara Football Academy, a private initiative that was brought to life with the support of the State Government. It was established as a centre for youths development, using football as the medium of empowerement. The academy provides a conducive and unique sorrounding to keep youths away from drugs, violence and other unhealthy activities .With about 150 students currently, KFA is aimed at training footballers between the ages of 10 and 20 years to compete favourably with their counterparts at international levels.
It is also focused on developing the skills of the footballers such that after graduation, they can pursue careers as professional footballers with international football clubs. Kwara Football Academy is the first of its kind in Nigeria. It provides opportunities for potential footballers to recieve first class education whilst honing their football skills. The football academy sets the stage for Kwara State to become the ultimate center for the future development of football in Nigeria
OUR STRATEGY
Our aim is to provide the best of facilities, coaching and games program to create a perfect environment for players to develop and reach their full potentials. We aim to develop players to play in the first team of different clubs in every part of the world as professionals. On a continuous basis, more talented qualified students are discovered and invited to join the academy.
OUR OBJECTIVES
The Kwara Football Academy, a private initiative that was brought to life with the support of the State Government. It was established as a centre for youths development, using football as the medium of empowerement. The academy provides a conducive and unique sorrounding to keep youths away from drugs, violence and other unhealthy activities .With about 150 students currently, KFA is aimed at training footballers between the ages of 10 and 20 years to compete favourably with their counterparts at international levels. It is also focused on developing the skills of the footballers such that after graduation, they can pursue careers as professional footballers with international football clubs. Kwara Football Academy is the first of its kind in Nigeria. It provides opportunities for potential footballers to recieve first class education whilst honing their football skills. The football academy sets the stage for Kwara State to become the ultimate center for the future development of football in Nigeria.
The Kwara Football Academy, a private initiative that was brought to life with the support of the State Government. It was established as a centre for youths development, using football as the medium of empowerement. The academy provides a conducive and unique sorrounding to keep youths away from drugs, violence and other unhealthy activities .With about 150 students currently, KFA is aimed at training footballers between the ages of 10 and 20 years to compete favourably with their counterparts at international levels. It is also focused on developing the skills of the footballers such that after graduation, they can pursue careers as professional footballers with international football clubs. Kwara Football Academy is the first of its kind in Nigeria. It provides opportunities for potential footballers to recieve first class education whilst honing their football skills. The football academy sets the stage for Kwara State to become the ultimate center for the future development of football in Nigeria
OVERVIEW
KFA offers talented youths the opportunity to acquire a formal
education while training as professional footballers. Tha academy
offers a full on-campus boarding experience to ensure student
concentration and full engagement while in school. The curriculum is
modelled after the Nigerian educational system and some aspects of the
british curriculum, allowing the students to be able to write exams
such as the West African School Examinations (WASCE), Natonal
Examination Certificate (NECO), International General Certificate of
Secondary Education (IGCSE), Test of English as a foreign language
(TOEFL) and the international Baccalaureate(IB).As part of the academic
training, students are exposed to languages, including English and
modern European languages, General and Applied Mathematics, Humanities
and Social Sciences, Creative, Technical and Vocational studies and
natural sciences as areas of study
The
students are grouped into three categories; The junior cadre comprises
of student between ages 10-14, the intermediate cadre comprise students
between ages 15-16 while the elite cadre comprises student between
ages 17-19. While the Junior and intermediate group combine academics
with football with management course.
The
academy is situated on about 35hectares of land within the Kwara State
Stadium complex in Ilorin. The existing facilities have the capacity to
accomodate 300 students. Some of the existing structurs include : Four
standard football pitches well grassed with submersible sprinklers,
One tennis court, One basketball court, One gymnasium, Three blocks of
students hostels (27 rooms each) and a medical center.
ACHIEVMENTS
Players of KFA have participated in try-outs with several international clubs .In 2009, two of the players were invited for trials with Chelsea Football Club England and two also for trials at Portsmouth Football Club in England. Some products of the Academy are currently playing in different clubs within and outside Nigeria. Some of these include Ahmed Abdul-Taofik who is playing for FK Ventspills of Latvia Premier League, Gbenga Arokoyo who is currently with ML Sides Timbers ans Six players are currently on loan with ABS Ilorin Football Club. In 2013, Raymond Japhet from KFA was part of the U-17 team, that won that year’s U-17 World Cup.