Members of the Onitsha Country Sports Club, Fegge, Anambra, State, have commenced the construction of a 300-capacity pavilion to boost infrastructure at the club.

President of the club, Anietonwa Ajulufo, who spoke to journalists on Wednesday, said the pavilion would house the proposed Onitsha Country Club Tennis Academy.

Mr Ajulufo said the project, estimated at N100 million, has an expected completion time of six months.

He said the club was also planning to construct a miniature football pitch to encourage sports culture among the people.

The president called on the Anambra State government to support the club to finish the project, saying the club relied largely on donations from members and the generosity of members of the public.

He said, “We have started the construction of a 300-capacity tennis pavilion. There used to be a bungalow of over 30 years here, but we pulled it down to make way for the pavilion because of space constraints. Part of our target is to take kids off the streets and empower them with sports skills; that is our own way of helping the government to address the ills in society.’’

Mr Ajulufo said the club was working towards having facilities for key sports, adding that they had upgraded the four tennis courts to international standards.

He expressed confidence that soon, the club would start hosting national tennis championships.

He stated, “We are converting our badminton court to a miniature football pitch, which is popular now. We are worried about obesity and lack of physical exercise among the people; that is why we are building facilities which will encourage members to engage in one form of exercise or the other.’’

(NAN)