Unarguably one of the most important ways of attracting and encouraging people with special interest in sports especially the kids is by providing equipment for them to train and make the facilities attractive or better still putting them in good condition.

This was part of the submission of an American-based Basketball Player, Kike Saliu Rafiu during a One-Day clinic she organised for girls with interest in basketball at the indoor sports hall of the Akure Sports Complex.

Kike,as she’s fondly called by friends has Masters in the United States and she is the founder of GIRL RISE UP, a Non Governmental Organisation that helps the Girl Child in leadership training,education and sports.

The former Sunshine Angels of Ondo state player in an interaction lamented the poor way at which sports facilities are being managed in the state and country at large.

The former National Sports Festival Gold Medalist for Ondo state, said her major target is to give back to the society that raised her up to stardom.

She specifically charged Ondo State Government to give more attention to the development of infrastructure and its maintenance to make training easier for the talented ones.

Kike advised governments at all levels to extend scholarships to deserving talents to help them mix education with sports which she said would give the athletes opportunity to tap into various arms in sports.

While excited with the turn out of girls for the One-Day Basketball Clinic, KIKE further appealed to parents not to discourage their wards from participating in any sports of their choice saying such would deprive them of the countless benefits attached to sports.

She further advocated equality in handling discovered players irrespective of the class,gender and religion during training or in the process of selecting players for any competitions.

Over eighty girls between the age of 10-15 participated in the clinic and were taught the basic skills in basketball such as
Dribbling,passing among others.