Good day, Coach Kester, we are so excited to have you here, welcome on board.
Thank you. It’s a pleasure being here.
Zik Hall above all odds won the Inter Hall Competition, How do you feel?
I feel euphoric. The feeling of having won the Inter-hall is one of pure elation.
Even though winning is a heritage in Zik Hall, for several years, Zik Hall was not able to go far in the inter-hall competition, what do you think was the problem, and what did you do differently?
What in my opinion was the problem was one of favoritism. The coaches we had selected their teams based on whom they liked and wanted.
I and my coaching crew picked a team purely based on merit. Before now, you wouldn’t find 100 level guys making the team but this year, we had over five 100 level Zikites in the team. More so, we shortlisted a list of 30 names and gave invites to them all. Only the players who showed up at training got to play. It was more of a “no training, no match” circumstance.
Was your aim to win the competition initially or just to play some good games?
When we set out to prepare for the competition, we decided we were going to win. I hadn’t won the competition as a player and I was willing to do all it took to try and win it as a coach.
What was the input of the coaching crew to the success recorded?
The coaching crew was one comprising of about five individuals with different ideologies and beliefs. The success of the team was no doubt largely due to the coaching crew. No disrespect meant to the players of course. The coaching crew developed the plans to execute, the players to field, what to do after we scored or conceded etc.
The players were instrumental nonetheless but the coaching crew also performed a really good job.
Even though your players had to buy their jerseys themselves, would you say you got the needed support from the Executive council?
The decision for the Players buying their Jerseys was a collective one. And it was due largely to the fact that the players would get to keep their Jerseys with their names printed on it.
If the players hadn’t bought those Jerseys, the Executive Council would have found a way to get the team a Jersey either through rent or purchase.
So, I’d categorically say we got the needed support from the Executive Council. From the mobilization of the fans to the provision of other essential things we need.
Would you say the activities of the supporters club had an influence in you winning the title?
The supporters were a big factor in our title win. The chants elevated our spirits and encouraged us to do even better. The displays put on, the caskets and many other acts pushed us to do better than we’d ever done.
Several Fans noted that unlike the Final against Bello Hall, Zik Hall didn’t play well in their first two games, what did you do to prepare the players for the final?
The players’ performance in the Final against Bello would seem different from the other two matches. It was in fact different. After the quarter and semi-finals, we were not totally impressed with our performances so the coaching crew sat and analysed the problem we were facing. We solved such problems by ways not limited to the following; we had a road workout, we had a hill workout at the Awo/CMF hill and conducted fresh training sessions with totally different ideologies.
Glory to God, the players adapted quickly to the new formation being proposed and the style of play which we intended to use. So definitely, the preparation for the final was much more different from that of the quarter and semifinals.
Understanding that this is your first coaching job, would you say winning was just luck?
I am certainly not a coach, only an injured player who got a coaching job call-up.
When I was told I’d be coaching the Zik team, I examined the situation of coaching and how different it was from playing. So, I sought out to recruit people who had more experience than I did in coaching. My coaching crew comprised of the 200L survival football competition coach, The Faculty of Social Science Assistant Coach, The Barrister Rotimi Alli Zik Hall Interfloor Football competition Silver medal winning Coach and A Freshman who had sufficient knowledge of Football after having gone under scrutiny.
If it’s said that it was sheer luck that won us the Interhall, no problem. But we had a wealth of knowledge to have benefited from when it comes to coaching duties. The coaches selected were carefully and categorically chosen to compliment a man who knew nothing about coaching.
Okay. We understand that some Alumni of Zik Hall promised the team money at some point, have you been able to get the money?
Yes, the team has been able to get the money. Not in its totality but part of it.
The money collected from alumni and the winner’s cash prizes, will it be remitted to the hall, shared among the players, or used for some projects?
The decision will be made by the entirety of the team. However, part of the money had been forwarded to the supporters’ club for their immense contribution to the team. What will happen to the remainder will be decided by the whole team.
As Zik Hall Head Coach, what are you doing to make sure that we are able to sustain this performance?
The coaching crew like I said comprised of 5 individuals inclusive of myself.
Out of these 5, only 2 are finalist. The remaining 3 are very much available to carry on with the precedents already set as regards the coaching of the team.
Okay, sir. What do you have to say to the generality of Zikites who came to cheer your team in every game?
To every Zikite who came to support the team, we are deeply appreciative of your support. Your chants led us to glory and we hope you had fun whilst at it. We hope to keep up this excellent tradition and keep entertaining and making every Zikites happy in football.
