Kada Stars of Kaduna head coach, Ndana Baba has cited a strong youth development approach in the club as the major secret behind their successful conquest of the 2026 National Hockey Super League, Sports247 reports.
While affirming that the club relies on players that grew with them through the youth ranks, rather than poach talents from other teams, Baba admitted he was delighted with their unbeaten campaign throughout the season.
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Baba was grinning from ear-to-ear, after his side sealed the title with a 3-2 defeat of Plateau Tigers of Jos on Saturday, after earlier wins over Southwest (4-0), IGP Flickers (8-0), Yobe Desert Rollers (6-0), Niger Flickers (5-0), Police Machine (5-1), Adamawa Stars (8-0) and Stallions (3-0).
Captain of the side, Kelvin Linus attributed the success to months of rigorous preparation and unwavering belief within the squad, adding: “We trained very hard for this tournament. We also competed in Ghana.
“We won the championship there and came back believing we would conquer in Nigeria. There were moments of doubt during the competition, but we trusted ourselves, the coaches and the entire team. That belief made the difference.”
While Linus further revealed that the players’ attention has shifted to the African Club Championship, Baba credited their grassroots development efforts for the team’s conquest, pointing out that they built the squad from within.
“Our players came through our development system – from under-16 to under-18, under-21 and finally the senior team. We don’t buy players; we produce them. That structure is giving us results,” Baba posited.
