Book and Boot Foundation has begun a grassroots sports project designed to increase participation and tackle unequal access to sporting opportunities for students in rural communities, starting with a four-day Scrabble clinic for more than 50 pupils in Ogun State.
Scrabble training in Ogun
- The programme took place at El-Berit Academy in Esupofo community, within Ado Odo Local Government Area, where the students learned the basic principles of Scrabble.
- Participants were also supplied with playing materials, including boards, tiles, racks and score sheets.
- Book and Boot Foundation director Dotun Omisakin said the project was established to address the limited access to sports experienced by children in rural areas.
- Omisakin noted that the cost of participating in some sports was beyond the means of many families in those communities.
- He said the foundation additionally works to support student-athletes and stages sporting programmes connected with colleges and other tertiary institutions.
- The organisation’s name reflects its two areas of focus: “book” stands for academic development, while “boot” signifies sport.
- Omisakin said its wider mission was to speak up for student-athletes and reduce inequality in access to sport.
- He praised Pan African Scrabble Association president Adegbesan Adekoyejo, Zenith Emperor Football, Raijh Edatomola and other contributors for helping make the project possible.
- The foundation director urged businesses and other private-sector organisations to provide more sponsorship for grassroots sport, saying greater backing would expand opportunities for young athletes.
Skills and equipment
Trainer Paul Gbadegesin said Scrabble was more than a board game, describing it as a mental exercise that can strengthen students’ critical-thinking and problem-solving abilities.
Gbadegesin said he had explained the game’s origins and introduced the students to its basic concepts, while Nigerian Scrabble player Akeem Ogundokun led practical lessons on how to play.
He added that PANASA contributed a professional Scrabble set, allowing the students to train with regulation equipment instead of using paper substitutes.
School support
Oluwayomi Oladeji, founder of El-Berit Academy, said schools should develop students academically while also giving them opportunities in sport and other extracurricular pursuits.
She identified the three areas of education as cognitive, affective and psychomotor development. Oladeji said her school was committed to involving its students in sport and welcomed Book and Boot Foundation’s decision to bring the initiative to the academy.
