It was a wild jubilation amongst soccer fans and football stakeholders in Ilorin, as Abubakar Bukola Saraki FC regained its professional status to play in the Nigeria National League (NNL).
Addressing the media at the official unveiling of the new Technical Adviser of the club, Coach Danlami Umar , the club’s Director of Football, Chief Alloy Chukwuemeka said that the decision of the owners of the club to bring back the team to professional status was to satisfy the yearning of the teeming fans of the club, who were worried that a big club like ABS FC with its status in Nigeria football should not be playing in the amateur league.
He assured the club’s fans and Supporters that the team would galvanize all the available resources and support from the owners to ensure that the team gains promotion to the NPFL.
“We have a mandate to not only sustain the professional status of the club, but to galvanize all available resources and strategies to gain promotion to the elite league, the NPFL” , he said.
Chukwuemeka charged the newly appointed Technical Adviser to work efficiently to ensure that the mandate of promotion to the NPFL is achieved in earnest.
Responding, Coach Danlami Umar said the mandate is achievable, even as he called for the support of the football stakeholders to succeed in his assignment, adding that kwara remains his second home.
Highlights of the event was the public presentation of a new Players Talent Development Programme (PTDP) initiative of the ABS FC, which is expected to export 30 players yearly from Nigeria to Europe and other foreign countries.
The scouting program, which will commence in six geo-political zones with centres in Kaduna, Bauchi, Ilorin, Ado Ekiti, Owerri and Calabar is targeted at exceptionally talented players between the ages of 18-21 years.
Notable football stakeholders who spoke at the event held at G- pinnacle hotel Ilorin commended the owners and management of ABS FC for the new project and wished the club well ahead of the new season.
