CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

Sports are very popular all over the world because of the diverse purposes they serve. Bucher and Krotee (2002) opined that sports contribute to character building, discipline, economy, ideology, patriotism, education, mental development, human communication, physical fitness, and health. Sports competitions,seminars, conferences and meetings of various types provide the opportunity for individuals from different countries to exchange ideas and knowledge which in turn would be of immense benefit in educating the citizens of their countries. Morakinyo (2002) observed that sports as a social phenomenon has grown from its humble beginning of being an entertainment and recreation pastime to become a visible and prominent business phenomenon that could no longer be ignored in the social, political and economic environment of any nation.

Many great nations and societies of the world have realized that participation in sports is the key to a healthy development of their citizens, and have used it to develop their young ones, attaining a success that science, religions and politics have failed to achieve. Sporting activities have as well permeated the Nigerian society just as many other societies worldwide and also all aspects of societal life such as politics and religion. Awosika(2003) described sports as a symbol that has become a unifying factor in Nigeria and views it as an essential ingredient for nation building, which cuts across all barriers ethnic, religious or social, and has served as a medium for the development of youths. Onifade (2003) viewed sports as an institutionalized competitive activity that involves vigorous physical exertion or the use of relatively complex physical skill by individuals. Sports in the context of this study are defined as games and plays of low and high organization within the secondary school setting. Such games and plays may or may not be competitive but may encourage greater students’ participation.

Collins (2005) defined sports development as a process whereby effective opportunities, processes, systems and structures that are set up to enable and encourage people in all or particular groups and areas to take part in sport for recreation or to improve their performance to whatever level they desire. The Federal Republic of Nigeria Sports Development Policy (2009), segmented sports development into five distinct components: international sports, indigenous sports, stadium management, sports federations and institutional sports. International Sports arises because sports regularly cross international boundaries.Defining International sports as having an impact on more than one nation, Master alexis,Barr and Hums (2005) noted that it is extremely difficult to name sports that are unaffected by international influences. Indigenous sports refer to traditional sports and games that have been practiced in Nigeria all over the years, even before colonialism and western education.

The traditional sports and games then were basically for leisure and recreational activities, some of which reflect the cultural heritage and religious background of the people in Nigeria in general. Akinemi (2008) give some people examples of indigenous sports in Nigeria include Ayo (Seed game),Langa (Hopping game), Kokawa (Traditional wrestling), Aarin (African billiards game), and Dambe (Traditional boxing). Indigenous sports encourage indigenous people to be more active and to play sport at all levels. It increase opportunities for indigenous people to learn the skills needed to organize, deliver, and manage community based sport, and to ensure indigenous people talented Stadiums facilities are designed to accommodate large group of people who want to be entertained at a sport or an entertainment event. Stadium management as a component of sports development involves financing new stadiums or renovations of old ones, retaining the revenue generated by the stadium and preparing fully integrated security programmes.

Sports Federations are the organizations governing a specific sport within each country. Examples of sports federation in Nigeria include the Nigerian Football Federation(NFF), Athletic Federation of Nigeria (AFN), and Traditional Sports Federation of Nigeria(TSFN) among others. These organizations are responsible for approving and sanctioning competitions open to all athletes in the country. They set the national policies and eligibility standards for participation in their respective sports. Sports federations are also responsible for the training, development, and selection of teams in their respective sports for various competitions in various institutions. Institutional sports here refer to school sports (Primary, Secondary & Tertiary Institutions). Secondary school sport is the focus of this study, considering the role secondary school sports play in the early identification of sports talents and sports development. Sports development in Nigeria has witnessed a lot of metamorphosis from the colonial, pre-independence to independence eras. Prior colonial incursion, dancing, acrobatic displays and wrestling featured prominently as part of ceremonies in Nigerian societies(Ikulayo, 2004)