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Book and Boot Foundation has launched a grassroots sports initiative aimed at promoting sports participation and reducing inequality among students in rural communities, starting with a four-day Scrabble training program for more than 50 students in Ogun State.
The training was held at El-Berit Academy in Esupofo Community, Ado Odo Local Government Area of Ogun State, where students were introduced to the fundamentals of Scrabble and provided with playing kits including Scrabble boards, tokens, racks and scoring sheets.
During the program, the director of the foundation, Dotun Omisakin, said the initiative was created to close the gap in access to sports opportunities, particularly for children in rural communities.
“We have observed that some sports require a lot of capital, which some children in rural communities cannot afford,” Omisakin said.
He explained that the Book and Boot Foundation also focuses on supporting student-athletes and organizing college-related sporting events.
According to him, the name of the foundation reflects its dual commitment to education and sports, where “book” represents academics and “boot” represents sports.
“The purpose is to advocate for student-athletes and close the gap of sports inequality,” he said.
Omisakin praised the President of the Pan African Scrabble Association (PANASA), Adegbesan Adekoyejo, Zenith Emperor Football, Raijh Edatomola and other supporters for contributing to the success of the initiative.
He also called for greater sponsorship from the private sector to strengthen grassroots sports development and create more opportunities for young athletes.
Scrabble training designed to develop critical thinking
Paul Gbadegesin, one of the trainers, described Scrabble as a mental game capable of helping students develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
“I introduced the game to the students and taught them the history of Scrabble, while Nigerian Scrabble player, Akeem Ogundokun, explained to them how to play it,” he said.
Gbadegesin added that PANASA supported the program by providing a professional Scrabble game, giving students the opportunity to learn with standard equipment rather than relying on paper-based alternatives.
El-Berit Academy supports sports and academia
The founder of El-Berit Academy, Oluwayomi Oladeji, highlighted the importance of combining academic development with sports and other extracurricular activities.
“There are three realms of education: cognitive, affective and psychomotor. For us as a school, we are focused on engaging our students in sports and we are happy that Book and Boot Foundation is bringing the initiative to our school,” he said.
Oladeji further noted that education must extend beyond the traditional classroom environment, with activities such as Scrabble helping students develop cognitive, communication, problem-solving and social skills.
“Education goes beyond what happens within the four walls of a classroom. For us as a school, our intention is to create opportunities for our students to develop their thinking, communication, problem-solving and social skills, and we are pleased that the Book and Boot Foundation is bringing this Scrabble initiative to our school for our Summer Discovery Program,” he said.
The Book and Boot Foundation’s initiative highlights the potential of low-cost sports like Scrabble to expand access to structured sporting activities in underserved communities while encouraging students to balance academic pursuits with athletic development.
