Firsttouch FA: Atamah aims to advance Nigerian academy with European path in sight

Firsttouch Football Academy CEO Vincent Atamah says the academy’s ambitions go far beyond its current RAK League campaign, with a long-term plan to establish the club among Nigeria’s leading football development centers and create a pathway to Europe for its most talented players.

The encouraging start to the Firsttouch tournament has given Atamah more reasons to believe in the project.

After suffering a narrow 2-1 defeat to Eva-Light FA in their first Eye Conference match, Firstouch responded with a decisive 1-0 victory over Leeds FC. Clement David’s sixth-minute goal proved decisive, while goalkeeper Taofeek made a series of important saves to secure a clean sheet.

But for Atamah, performances are more than results.

The CEO of Firsttouch believes that players are beginning to demonstrate the mentality necessary to become top-level footballers.

“The boys have shown great character,” Atamah said. “We are very proud of their effort, their discipline and their willingness to fight for each other. There is still a lot of work to do, but we are seeing the qualities that we want to take advantage of.”

That development is critical to Firsttouch’s long-term strategy.

Atamah wants the academy to become more than just a place where young players train and compete. Its vision is to build an organized football development structure capable of preparing Nigerian talent for the demands of professional football at the highest level.

“We want to build something sustainable,” he said. “Our dream is for Firsttouch Football Academy to be among the best academies in Nigeria. To achieve this, we have to invest in the players and provide them with the right environment to grow.”

A key part of that investment will be facilities.

The academy plans to improve its training infrastructure and provide players with better facilities and resources, along with quality training and structured development programs.

Atamah believes talented players need more than natural ability to succeed.

“We have talented kids, but talent alone is not enough. They need proper training, good facilities, discipline, education and the right exposure. That’s the environment we want to create at Firsttouch.”

The academy’s ambitions also have an international dimension.

Atamah wants Firsttouch to become a trusted avenue through which talented Nigerian players can eventually attract opportunities in European football.

“We want to develop players who can meet international standards,” he said. “Our plan is to produce quality players who can compete in Europe and, when the opportunity presents itself, supply the European market with suitably developed Nigerian talent.”

For Atamah, that road must be built carefully and not hastily.

The academy aims to focus on technical development, tactical understanding, physical preparation, discipline and the mental part of the game, giving players the necessary foundations to adapt to professional football.

Early signs from the RAK League have encouraged the academy leadership, but Atamah insists the current campaign is just one stage of a much larger journey.

“We’re not just looking at a tournament or a result,” he said. “We are building for the future. These guys are the beginning of something that we believe can become very big.”

For now, Firsttouch’s immediate goal is to continue competing strongly in the RAK League. But behind the results lies a more ambitious project: one that aims to turn the academy into a renowned factory of Nigerian talent and open a route from local football to the European stage.

The vision is ambitious. The challenge now is to build the structure capable of achieving this.