The Ondo State Football Association has lamented that the association is suffering from insufficient funds to function appropriately.
To this end, the association has appealed to the state governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, to reintroduce monthly subvention payments to ameliorate its financial challenges.
The chairman of the association, Dele Ajayi, made the appeal during the Annual General Assembly of the group in Akure, the state capital, on Saturday.
He noted that funding remained the major challenge confronting the association, appealing to the state government to reintroduce a monthly subvention to assist the association in carrying out its activities.
According to him, despite notable achievements recorded by the state in recent competitions, the football association is still grappling with financial constraints.
Apart from the financial problem, Ajayi noted that lack of collaboration with corporate organisations was also affecting the development of grassroots football in the state.
He said, “A lot of activities have taken place, and the state government has recorded successes in sports. We won the gold medal in football and also secured a silver medal in the female category at the just concluded Niger Delta Sports Festival.
” But the major problem of the football association in our state is finance. If you look at it across the three senatorial districts, North, South and Central, we do not have big companies like those in Lagos and some other states that can support football development.
“In the past, there has always been a monthly subvention for the FA. We would like to request the state government to restore that support.”
He also appealed to the government to provide an 18-seater bus to ease the movement of teams for competitions and other football engagements, while also urging the government to expedite work on the new stadium in the state to enhance football development.
In his remarks, the Ondo State Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Henry Omoyofunmi, called for stronger collaboration among stakeholders to advance football development in the state.
Omoyofunmi, who was represented by Jonathan Obatola, said the gathering of football stakeholders provided an important opportunity to review past activities and chart a progressive path for the growth of the game in the state.
Similarly, a Special Adviser to Governor Aiyedatiwa on Transport, Gbenga Omole, in his remarks assured the FA of the support of the current state government to the association for the promotion of its activities.
