The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) will Tuesday perform groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of Players’ Hostel and a number of new training pitches holds in Abuja.
The groundbreaking will be done by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas.
Named the NFF-FIFA Players’ Hostel, the 68-room facility is located at the heart of Package B of the MKO Abiola National Stadium.
The two-wing edifice, with A and B Sections has a total of 62 single rooms, four suites and two executive suites.
The NFF has also resolved to construct two new training pitches —one synthetic and one natural grass, re-construction of the existing synthetic pitch, sitting terraces for spectators, two dressing rooms for players — each accommodating 27 players at a time and two dressing rooms for officials.
The spectators’ terraces will have 1,838 seats.
The construction is projected to last 24 months, and would be funded by world football-governing body, FIFA through its FIFA Forward 3.0 program.
NFF President, Ibrahim Gusau, said: “The NFF is excited about the Players’ Hostel and new training pitches. It is a transformational project around our national teams and we are grateful to FIFA for providing the funds for these amazing facilities.
“Right from the inception of the present NFF administration, we were very clear on what we wanted to do with our FIFA Forward 3.0 funds.
“Building a players’ hostel and having new training pitches will not only enhance team management, it will substantially reduce expenditure in these areas and enable us to commit more funds to grassroots development programs.”
FIFA’s Deputy Chief Member Associations Officer and Regional Director (Africa), Gelson Fernandes, said the objective of the Forward Programme is to ensure top-quality infrastructure that drives football development worldwide.
He added that the The NFF’s transformation of its Technical Centre is a perfect example – upgrading training pitches, building modern accommodation and creating a true home for the national teams; this project is a brilliant one for Nigeria football.
“We’re proud to support and to work alongside the NFF, not only with funding but also by sharing expertise to make this project a reality. Nigeria lives and breathes football, and FIFA is committed to helping the game grow as much as we can,” he said.