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‘A big advantage to my coaching career’ – Gold winning Team Delta coach, Nelly Orisakwe reacts to victory over IJA
By Oyediji Oluwaseun Babatunde
The head coach of Team Delta women’s football team at the 2024 National Sports Festival, Nelly Orisakwe says winning the gold medal ahead of the Invited Junior Athletes (IJA) is a huge boost for her coaching career.
The experienced Imo Striker Queens coach in the Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL) Championship led Team Delta to a 7-6 win on penalties over IJA, represented by Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national team at the MKO Abiola Sports Complex, Abeokuta, on Tuesday.
Regulation time ended in a 0-0 before Team Delta won the game of wills to claim the gold medal, a huge boost to Orisakwe’s coaching career.
“Winning this gold medal means the world to me. I am so happy. This is a very big advantage to my coaching career. I am so grateful to God,” She told www.nigeriafootball.ng
The two-time winner of the Judith Chime Championship recounted her tactical and psychological input, leading to a resurgent second-half display by her team.
“Normally I watched our opponents and saw the way they played in the first half. I used their strategy to talk to my players so that they know how to mark them,” She continued.
“In the first half, our opponents are using more of the middle of the field than us. When we came in the second half, I had to tell them to be mindful of the middle because they were using four midfielders. I had to bring more players in the midfield to help the midfielders which worked for us.”
As she now focussed on leading Imo Strikers to gain promotion to the top flight this season from the NWFL Championship, Orisakwe summed up the experience gathered at the festival.
“This festival has given me a whole lot of experience at least seeing different teams play. It has helped boost morale. I pray by the special grace of God, a lot of things I have acquired here I will take home to beef up my team in preparation for the NWFL Championship.” She concluded.
