Onome Ebi pledges to promote beach soccer and futsal in Nigeria

Former Super Falcons captain Onome Ebi has pledged to use her experience to promote beach soccer and futsal across Nigeria. Her commitment follows her appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation’s Beach Soccer and Futsal Interim Board.

Ebi, 43, described the new role as an honour and an opportunity to remain involved in football after ending her playing career. She intends to contribute to the development of both disciplines through work linked to player development, coaching and administration.

The former defender spent more than two decades representing Nigeria in traditional football and also led the Super Falcons as captain. She acknowledged that beach soccer and futsal are outside her main area of expertise, but said she is prepared to study their technical and regulatory demands.

Ebi recently completed a FIFA Players Executive Programme in football administration and obtained a USSF C-coaching licence in the United States. Those qualifications form part of her transition into wider football responsibilities beyond her playing career.

She also plans to work with specialists in the two formats while bringing the viewpoint of an athlete to the interim board. Her playing background, she believes, gives her an understanding of the challenges faced by footballers and the conditions required for them to develop.

Ebi identified strong structures, clear development routes and effective leadership as important areas for players. She said her immediate focus would be to learn from experienced figures in beach soccer and futsal while making her best effort to raise awareness of both games in Nigeria.