Making a case for sport development at grass root level in Nigeria is not enough because the instinctive nature of sporting activities is bane on survival and in line with Fifa objective on ensuring youth development attains its full potential Joe Nwiloh heart foundation (JNHF) took on the initiative to Launch a heart health campaign tagged Heart beat of soccer. The initiative which is in collaboration with the Nigeria women football league provides a platform for ECG test, blood pressure checks, cholesterol and fasting blood sugar tests for footballers, coaches and their administrators at the super six premiership tournament. The objective of the screening will enable detection of potential substrates for lethal cardiac arrhythmias, which can lead to sudden cardiac arrest and death on the field.
The competitors for the super six premiership tournament, includes Rivers Angel, Delta Queens, Edo Queens, Bayelsa Queens, Confluence Queens And Robo Queens. The passion for the game of football was overwhelming as young ladies troop out en-masse to fight for the coveted price of 10 million Naira, 5 million naira and other financial gesture by the governing body (NWFL). The hunger, the grit and the sportsmanship for these young girls career at club level is second to none and as the song of Glory! Glory! surfaced; it was Edo Queens who emerged as the new reigning champions.
The big question is why should anyone die as a result their passion? What can we do differently to ensure the safety of footballers (male or female). Athletes train often under challenging conditions. Many barely meet basic survival requirements and their health hardly monitored. This is why heart health has become a critical focus for Joe Nwiloh heart foundation and the need for heart beat of soccer initiative.
When it became glaring the team at @JNHF will provide medical assessment to the female footballers, coaching crew and administrators. Our mandate to ensure public education on emergency cardiovascular resuscitation and heart disease prevention in Africa was clearly at the fore front of our actions. It showed our Commitment and dedication to ensuring that these incredible athletes do not only excel on the field but also maintain optimal health off the field. Our heart health initiative aims to provide the support and resources they need to thrive in line with global health regulatory standard.
I have to specially appreciate the effort of Dr Jonathan Nwiloh who had ensured the overall project integration and championed the collective effort of all stakeholders in line with the goal of the Heart beat of soccer initiative.
I must also mention that the agile red team lead by Chioma Okere, Newton Orunmwense, RN Stanley, Akachukwu and many others who had made frantic effort on media buy-ins, strategy, trade-offs, partnerships and collaborations also ensured the successful execution on the project.
Special appreciation has to be given to executive management of the Nigeria women football league and most especially the chairman -Mrs. Nkechi Obi who provided a platform for the successful collaboration and inspiring delivery of the super six project for the 2024 season.
We believe this partnership will foster scalability across other age graded competitions and can impact the overall well being of the officials and athletes.
Soneye Segun
