Idris Adesina
Imo Grasshoppers coach, Ferdinand Emeanaa, has called for more competitions for handball players in the country.
Grasshoppers won the women’s category of the Sam Ocheho/Injoo Invitational Handball Championships recently.
Emenaa, who hailed the sponsors of the competition, said, “It is a great thing to have such competitions as this in the country but we need to get more of it. Handball is not as popular as it used to be in Nigeria because the players no longer get the exposure they need.
“When competitions are held regularly, we will have more players taking part in them – both established and younger players. The Handball Federation of Nigeria once talked about a national league but we haven’t seen much of it.
“Imo State is a sports-loving state and the people from there are quite doing well in sports, an example of which we can see here. But after this competition, the players will go back to training and will have to wait for a long time before they get another opportunity to play. That should not be the case.
“There should be national competitions on a regular basis while an event like the Sam Ocheho tests the players’ might against other African countries.”

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