National Teams
U17 Women’s World Cup: Bankole Olowookere eyes success with Flamingos
By Saheed Afolabi
Nigeria U17 head coach, Bankole Olowookere, is targeting success at the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in the Dominican Republic later this month.
After securing third place at the last edition in India, where they triumphed over Germany in penalties, the Flamingos are focused on improving.
Olowookere emphasized the importance of converting offensive power into goals while maintaining solid defense as he aims to nurture the current group of talented players and improve on their previous result by finishing higher than third.
“My teams score goals, and while defense is important, attack is the key to winning games. The best defense is a strong attack,” he said.
Looking ahead, Olowookere expressed excitement about facing familiar rivals, New Zealand, alongside Ecuador and hosts nation Dominican Republic. He noted that while they know New Zealand from the last World Cup, Ecuador and the Dominican Republic are new opponents, which could make the games more challenging.
Despite this, he remains optimistic and eager for the challenge.
“It’s going to be a dream to develop these players and win a medal for the country. If you can achieve success at this level, it builds belief for future greatness,” he added.
