Lobi Stars head coach, Eugene Agagbe, has explained his decision to promote six grassroots players to the club’s first team, emphasizing his commitment to nurturing young talents.
Agagbe, who previously served as the youth coach and director of youth development at Lobi Stars for over 12 years, shared that his background in youth coaching inspired this move.
“I was a grassroot coach before I was promoted to the main team. I was the director of youth in Lobi Stars for years, over 12 years. And me being the director of youth and the coach of youth team in the Lobi Stars before I was moved to this place, if I don’t implement what I was doing at that level before I was pushed to this place, I think I am not doing the right thing.”
He highlighted the importance of integrating young players into his program, noting that not every coach would take the risk of bringing in six youth players at such a competitive level. “I look at it that I have to go where I came up from because there’s a lot of talent within the grassroot that can suit into my own program. It’s not every coach can be able to bring six youth players into his own program at when at a big-time league of caliber. But I look at them that they can suit into my program, that’s the reason why I brought them in,” he explained.
Agagbe also stressed the significance of discovering and developing talent from the grassroots, rather than relying solely on established players. “It’s another thing that we have to also discover talents, that is the essence of coaching. Most coaches go for ready-made, but I don’t believe in that. I have to bring out the best out of these youth players so that they can have a better living tomorrow in their careers. So that is my objective for bringing them in to the main team of Lobi Star,” he concluded.
