The Sardauna Memorial Community Stadium in Gusau is fast becoming a reference point for football infrastructure in the North-West.
On Thursday, the facility witnessed an unscheduled but symbolic visit as football stakeholders from three states – Zamfara, Kebbi and Sokoto – arrived in Gusau to see things for themselves.
For weeks, the ongoing transformation of the stadium by Monimichelle Sports Facilities Construction Ltd has been the talk of football circles in the region. The visiting stakeholders said they wanted a first-hand assessment, beyond pictures and videos circulating online.
And according to those who were part of the visit, they were not disappointed.
Speaking on the project, Chief Executive Officer of Monimichelle, Ebi Egbe, said the company’s focus in Gusau has always been to deliver a stadium built for real football, not just for commissioning ceremonies.
“From the Monimichelle PU Hybrid Synthetic playing surface to the stadium infrastructure and supporting facilities, our objective has always been clear – build to the standard required for serious football, not simply to create something that looks good in pictures.
For us, quality is in the details – the playing surface, flatness, ball behaviour, drainage, irrigation, player and officials’ facilities, seating and the overall functionality of the stadium.”
Egbe noted that the visit by stakeholders from three different states shows that people are beginning to appreciate what quality infrastructure means for the game.
“It was gratifying to see football stakeholders from three states take time to inspect the facility and acknowledge the work being done. This is what sports infrastructure should be about: building facilities that can serve football, develop talent and create a lasting legacy for the people.
Sardauna Memorial Community Stadium, Gusau is another Monimichelle project, another statement of what is possible when quality comes first,” he added.
With work steadily progressing, the Gusau stadium is already being described by many in the North-West football family as the new Mecca for the game – a facility that could host top-level matches and help in the discovery and nurturing of talents in Zamfara and neighbouring states.
