Former Nigeria captain, Precious Dede, has been roped in to train and prepare the Indian goalkeepers for the upcoming FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup to be held in India in November.
A World Cupper and Olympian, Dede has had 99 caps for the Super Falcons -- with two African Women’s Championship titles under her belt. She began as the goalkeeping coach for the senior women’s national team and then moved to the U-20 side, before taking up the assignment in India.
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Dede has been in India for three months now and was a part of the Indian coaching unit when the side finished runner-up at the U-17 tri-nation women's tournament in Mumbai last year.
Talking about her objectives for the coming year, she said: "I really enjoy working as a goalkeeping coach and the best part is that I don't need to open any book to teach. I haven't come all the way from Nigeria just to visit India or participate for the sake of it. I am here because I want to create the best goalkeepers in India and each game we play, I want our goalkeeper to be the best player on the pitch."
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She added that she wanted the Indian 'keepers to be confident with the ball at their feet: "I want to build their games from the base. I want them to be confident with the ball at their feet and it is something I started my training sessions with. Mistakes do happen but you have to be confident in your abilities and ensure you don't see yourself making any mistakes."
The Indian U-17 team is currently in Turkey, with a series of exposure tours and camps lined up ahead of the showpiece event in November.
Dede stated that there is sufficient time to get the team ready and the whole unit is looking forward to the challenge.
"There's enough time before the World Cup. With the friendlies and tournaments we have planned, they will help the players a long way. We're looking forward to play against stronger teams and build the players up well. Everyone involved is doing their best," she concluded.
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