Academy for stars will produce stars - Ewruje

Former Julius Berger midfielder, Elvis Ewruje has tipped products of the Academy for Stars to dominate the national teams in the future.

The Academy for football Stars, started operating last year in Sapele, Delta State, and is being run by Ewrujie, a UEFA licenced Grade B coach, which he acquired last year in England, after undergoing rigorous tutorials and tests conducted by the English Football Association.

Currently in the process of obtaining his UEFA pro-licence, Ewrujie said with his wealth of experience and practical knowledge of modern-day football, that the boys in the academy were destined for the top.

Speaking yesterday to Sports Vanguard, the former Yeovil Town creative forward, said that he chose to situate the academy in Sapele because of his roots to the area, promising that the future plan was to have branches in all States of the federation.

He said that his burning desire was to mould the next generation of soccer talents that would not only excel for the Golden Eaglets and Flying Eagles teams but also shine in European leagues, which he says is where Nigerian players can actualise their full potentials.

While noting that the problem of football development was the failure of management, Ewruje said that  with proper coaching from competent and internationally qualified coaches that Nigerian players will peak again.

'What a  player urgently needs is a qualified coache who would be responsible for transforming them into world-class products. I have received the training and I am still in the process of obtaining my UEFA pro-licence and believe that I have a lot to contribute to our football development.

'Right now we have about 140 players in our academy and they pay N1000 per month but what they receive in terms of training is of the highest standard because of my training. We have players in the U-10, U-12 to U-18 at the Academy for Stars and the results from the matches we played against teams like Warri Wolves, Nembe City and Bendel Insurance have been encouraging.

'I see these players becoming stars that will dominate our national teams, if they stay on track and continue working hard. Most of the facilities at the academy in Sapele are from Europe and we plan to expose these players to the international scene so that they can become better', added Ewruje.