By David Oku

Observers have given a pass mark to the participants of the just concluded UECOB scouting program which lasted  in Abia State. The program lasted 5 days.

Talented boys and girls from Football Academies (including the state's Women's team Abia Angels) showcased their skills in the hope of 'catching the eye' of the scouts which they certainly did.

"I'm very happy about this scouting program we carried out in Abia State, everything was well organized, and we were also surprised with the level of talent on display," Spanish scout George remarked. The feedback is welcome for UECOB Academy and the Abia State Government who provided the necessary resources to ensure that the scouting program coordinated by Kenneth Ogbuehi (a Nigerian Spanish-based FIFA Intermediary) was successful.
 
Bonny (Spanish-based observer) and Portuguese scout Fabianho accompanied George to Abia and were pleased with what they saw: "We're satisfied with the overall outcome and of course, if anyone is interested in our collaboration we will return to Abia in the future." They said.

Williams Memorial Field Afugiri hosted the opening round of test games while Umuahia Township Stadium and Nsulu Games Village played host on other days. There was anxiety, as is expected from young talents who were eager to leave an impression on the observers. George could be heard saying to one group: "Don't try to impress us by doing strange things, the most important thing is to play to enjoy yourselves."

Friends and families of the players made their way to the stadiums to see their wards perform. The academies involved were Ibend Football Academy, Superstars Football Academy Uyo, Ave Football Academy, Lex Academy Abuja, Danish Academy Owerri, Abia Angels Feeder, and Abia Angels Football Club.

Commissioner for Sports Development Abia State Sir Nwaobilor Ananaba graced the occasion and commended the athletes for performing well urging them to be disciplined while they continue pursuing their passion. Chiemela Iroha (one of the event facilitators) and sports enthusiast opined that more scouting programs should be held in the state to unearth talents after watching Abia Angels Feeder play in Umuahia.

This year's edition of the UECOB Scouting Program incorporated ladies after the mileage from the FIFA Women's World Cup and the growth of the game back home (In Spain). Two days were set aside for the ladies to showcase their skills and George thinks a lot more needs to be done: "In the first game involving Abia Angels Feeder we saw a lot of potential that needs further harnessing to get to a high level. It's not enough to be a good player, you must be fantastic to play in Europe, and you must be different," He commented.

After making a 16.6 km drive from Umuahia to the famous Nsulu games village in Isiala to watch Abia Angels play, the team of George, Fabianho, and Bonny shared the same opinion on the attributes of the women which compared to their counterparts in Europe: "I had a very good impression about the women, though not enough to select anyone to come to Europe at the moment but we see that the job they're doing is fantastic and they can be at a very high level in the future." said an enthused George.

The goalkeeper of the Abia Angels Feeder Isesinachi was one of the standout performers. She was buzzing while narrating her experience: "I thank God who made it possible for us to be here; I tried to give my best and wasn't expecting what I did today. I was shocked at my performance because the other team couldn't score against me." While commending the organizers Isesinachi and her colleagues wished they had more time on different days to showcase their skills: "The scouting was very good and well-coordinated, White men came including other important people, although we don't know their names we're happy we performed well."

This year's UECOB Scouting Program leaves a lasting positive impression, hopefully, more scouts will visit the state soon to harvest potential Samuel Chukwueze, Kelechi Iheanacho, Chiamaka Nnadozie, and Uchenna Kanu.