Journalism in the service of society

Omagbemi: Playing in the national team was an honour, a fulfilment…

Interview by Godwin Enakhena

My biggest regret is losing my husband… I was devastated by his death – ex-Super Falcons captain, coach

Some leaders are born while others are made. In Florence Omagbemi’s case, she was born to lead. How do you explain leading her peers as captain from her days in Warri, Delta State up to the senior women’s team, the Super Falcons and then chief coach of the team? In this exclusive interview, the lady, fondly called Skippo by her teammates, tells an amazing story of her rise to stardom, the joys and pains she has had to endure in life.

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LET’s meet you

My name is Florence Omagbemi. I’m a retired soccer player and now coach who hail from Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State. I was born in 1975.

Tell us about your parents and what growing up was like

My dad was Itsekiri; he was a civil servant and my mum was a tailor and a trader. I was very close to my dad who was a socialite, he loved me so much and we had so many things in common. My mum is partly from Ghana because his dad was from Accra. My parents had five boys and three girls. Sadly, we lost our elder sister during childbirth. I grew up as a tomboy because I played football with my brothers and some other boys after school hours and this was when I was 8 years old or thereabout. As expected, my parents were worried that I was mingling with boys on the football field and feared I could get injured in the process. As a former footballer himself, dad later encouraged me. I lost my mum in 2014 and dad passed away in 2016. I miss them so much.

At what point did you take football seriously?

People who were impressed with my performance on the pitch connected me with my first coach, Napoleon Aluma, who was then the youth coach and founder of Invisible Leopards Football Club of Warri.

Was there a women’s team in Warri at this point?

No. I played with the boys because we couldn’t find enough girls to raise a team. However, we were able to put together a women’s team in 1990/91. I became a foundation member of Ufuoma Babes Football Club of Warri in the 1991/92 season and we were very good.

You became popular playing for Princess Jegede Babes in Lagos

That’s true. Actually, my quest to further my education made me leave Ufuoma Babes for Princess Jegede because she told me I could go to University of Lagos and still play the game I loved so much. This was in 1992/93.

Did Princess Jegede fulfill her promise to you?

Yes, she did. I went to the University of Lagos where I obtained a diploma in Physical and Health Education. In fact, going to school was fulfilling my brothers’ dream who wanted me to combine football with education.

Biggest move of your career

This was when I joined Pelican Stars of Calabar in 1997 as the highest paid player in the league. The late Ntiero Effiom was our coach. We won the league and FA Cup that year.

What was it like when you were invited to the national team in 1991?

I was very excited even though I knew it was just a matter of time for me to be called up because I had worked so hard and was good at what I was doing.
I was just 15. The only thing I missed was my family that I was used to seeing everyday back home in Warri. But they were all happy for me.

How easy was it playing in the national team?

It was different in the sense that one was representing Nigeria but it was easy because I had most of my team mates from Ufuoma Babes in the team. We were picked from Princess Jegede mini tournament which was used to recruit players in preparation for the 1991 FIFA Women’s World Cup scheduled for China that same year. We beat Ghana and Cameroun to qualify for the event.

How come you have always been captain of all the teams you played for?

True, from the very beginning, from start to finish, it has always been like that. It’s the grace of God. I’ve always led my team mates right from Ufuoma Babes in Warri. I can’t say what all my coaches saw in me, but I think my leadership qualities on and off the pitch may be responsible. I am an organiser; I was born with the quality to lead. I call it destiny.

You’re in love with jersey numbers 14 and 17

I wore so many numbers in my career. Like 2, 14 and 17 but 14 was a number that kept me going. Daniel Amokachi also made me fall in love with it, too.

What impact did Coach Paul Hamilton have on you and the national team in 1991?

Paul Hamilton was the first national women’s coach who took a big challenge that many coaches in his shoes would have turned down. Coaching the women isn’t easy but he did a great job and laid the foundation. Credit also goes to his assistant, Niyi Akande. Ismaila Mabo also played his role after Coach Hamilton. I learnt a lot under them.

Who was your best friend in the national team?

As a leader, I made all my teammates my friends. We were one big family and I can’t point out one who was my best. All were my friends. Same thing applies to the clubs I played for.

One issue that trails women football in Nigeria and the world is lesbianism. Have you ever seen your teammates practice it and what’s your opinion about it?

I will be lying to myself to say that I haven’t heard about this but the truth is that there’s no fact or proof that any of my colleagues engaged in it during our time in the national team or even now. Women will always bond as a group.

Role model

The late Stephen Keshi and Samson Siasia inspired me so much. I never missed any opportunity to go to the stadium to watch them play as a kid. Another player I looked up to was Wilson Oruma. I knew him at Invisible Leopards back home in Warri.

How did you earn the nickname Skippo?

I think it was way back in 1991. My teammates called me Skippo instead of my name and that was how it stuck.

How long did you spend in the national team and can you recall memorable moments?

I spent over two decades with the Super Falcons. I hope I am right though. It’s such a long time you know. The first FIFA World Cup in 1991 was great, 1995 World Cup was also great. I have great memories. 1999 was different. I was at the Olympics too and of course the Africa Women’s Championships with success stories.

Toughest decision you had to take playing for Nigeria

I think it was in 2004 while preparing for the Olympics in Greece. Mercy Akide Udoh and I were invited from America but I asked for permission from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to join the Super Falcons in Germany within a week because my club needed me for the semi-final of a cup game. Unfortunately, I picked up a knee injury and was confused because I didn’t know how Nigerians back home would take my decision to turn down the invitation to play for my fatherland. I actually wanted to risk it and come play at the Olympics but my club told me that I was on my own If I went and that they won’t take care of my knee.

Sadly, I wasn’t confident Nigeria will take care of me if I aggravated the injury while playing with the help of pain killers. Yes, I could’ve played with it but I would have ended up damaging my leg. So, I decided not to go to the Olympics in Greece because of my future. As expected, Coach Ismaila Mabo wasn’t happy and felt I let the team down as I was in the final list that had been submitted for the Games. 

Did this decision hasten your quitting the national team?

I will say maybe; it was the beginning of the end. I played for the national team in 2004 in an Olympic qualifier against South Africa in Abuja and I retired from the national team in 2005. Truth is I sat down and asked myself what I had left to achieve in the game after so many wonderful times and successes. Again, like I said earlier, I wanted to leave on a high note and very healthy instead of limping later in life if I continued.

Tell us your experience at the 1991 FIFA Women’s World Cup in China

Hmmm! We were struggling to convince Nigerians that women could play football. We had a point to prove that we expected to earn us support. We went to the World Cup with passion and love of the game. We went out of Africa for the first time with little or no experience and we did our best. It was a good experience and that opened the doors to others.

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PLAYING ABROAD

TELL us about the first club you played for when you got to America

I played college soccer in America in the 1999/2000 season with Milligan College TN, and won several collegiate soccer awards. Then l played for the Boston Breakers in 2001. l later teamed up with Mercy Akide Udoh in San Diego Spirit in 2002. I played for the Hampton Roads Piranhas semi pro team (W-League) until I quit in 2006/2007.

You are highly regarded in America

Yes, I am. I was inducted into the United Soccer League Women’s Hall of Fame in 2011 as the first African Female Player

Why did you retire from football so early?

I wanted to leave football on a high note when I was still at my very best without nagging injuries that will not make me walk straight when I retire. I am a woman and I want to remain beautiful after the game. Aside this, I was fulfilled having played at four different FIFA Women’s World Cups, many Africa Women’s Nations Cup and the Olympics, what else was I looking for? Recall I had a knee surgery that didn’t allow me go to my second Olympics in 2004. I didn’t want to end up limping after my career. It was a personal decision to end it all when the ovation was still loud.

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‘My appointment to coach Falconets was divinely ordained…’


HOW did you get into coaching?

My club coach in America laid the foundation for me by making me player/coach while I was still active. He encouraged me. So, it was only natural when I finished playing active football that I moved into coaching youths and senior pros in 2005.

Aside coaching, you are also working for FIFA.

Yes, l worked with FIFA youth organising committee for the U-17 Women’s World Cup in Azerbaijan, 2012; Costa Rica 2014 and Jordan 2016.  In 2015, I was elevated to work with the FIFA Technical Study Group for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada.

How did you get the Super Falcons coaching job?

It’s an interesting story. In 2010, I read in the papers that I had been appointed as assistant coach to the Falconets by the NFF but I never received any letter to that effect, so I didn’t honour it. Sadly, I read in the papers later that I rejected the offer.
However, I honoured another offer to assist Coach Edwin Okon in 2012 with the Falconets at the World Cup in Japan when I got a letter. Then the bigger offer came in 2016 to lead the Super Falcons.

How did you celebrate the Super Falcons appointment?

I felt blessed and honoured to be given the opportunity to coach the senior national team of my country. A team I was part and parcel of; a team I was part of its foundation. I said to myself… I succeeded as a player and knew that this appointment was divinely ordained. It was a second chance for me and I grabbed it with both hands. Sadly, I realised that we had so much work to do in the team, all was not well and I knew there was a big task ahead.

You won the Nations Cup in Cameroun in spite the challenges you talked about

I knew what to expect in Cameroun. I had enough information about all the teams in the competition. I wasn’t going to underrate any team. I knew Cameroun and Ghana very well during my playing days because they’re Nigeria’s biggest rivals and they have always had talented girls.

What was your next target after the Super Falcons Nations Cup victory in Cameroun?

There was a lot to do to improve our performance. So, my focus was for the Super Falcons to go beyond the quarter final stage of the FIFA Women’s World Cup that we had achieved in 1999. Unfortunately, things happened so fast while I was waiting for the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for a go ahead. But I am always ready to get back to work for Nigeria with the right conditions and atmosphere. I love my country and Nigeria comes first always but not just jumping at anything unless all is clear. I won’t want to talk about what happened after we won the Nations Cup; no I won’t, at least not now.

Would you accept an offer to coach in the women’s league in Nigeria?

That will be tough because I live in America and coming to Nigeria to coach in the league won’t be easy. Let’s get to the bridge and see. Who knows what will happen with the right offer? You can never tell.

What’s your advice to young women footballers who want to be like you?


They should work very hard, remain focused and, most importantly, put God first in all that they do and He will take care of the rest.

Who would you credit for the growth of women football in Nigeria?

Credit must go to so many people who pioneered what is known today as women’s football in Nigeria. People like Elderson Kuejubola, Princess Jegede, Alhaja Ayo Omidiran, Larry Angels, Christopher Abesuga and many others. How can I forget the late Alhaja Simbiat Abiola and late Mariam Babangida? These are people who invested in the game without support from the private sector. While Kuejubola took the game to a different level, Princess Jegede put structures in place for its growth. I was very close to the late Marian Babangida and I could remember how well she treated us whenever we visited Dodan Barracks to ask for support for the Super Falcons in 1991. I was like a daughter to her. 

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‘My biggest regret is losing my husband… I was devastated by his death’

TELL us about your first relationship.

It happened in Lagos in the early 90s while playing for Princess Jegede. He was a course mate at the University of Lagos who was also playing football in the league in Nigeria before he went abroad. We dated for so many years and we naturally thought it was going to end up in marriage.

Why didn’t the relationship end up in marriage?

I think we were too young and inexperienced to understand how to handle a relationship. He had his career ahead of him just like I had. We were busy trying to make it in life and we drifted after we both travelled out of the country. He’s a Yoruba guy who is married now. We are still good friends though.

Regrets in life

Losing my husband in 2009 was tough for me. His death was shattering. He was sick while in Nigeria in 2004 and I was in America.
Any plan to remarry?

Of course, but it is in God’s hands. I am a single lady in a relationship with a Nigerian. I hope and believe marriage will happen when God says it’s time.

No kids from your first marriage to your late husband?


Yes, but I have a son, my late sister’s son is mine. I love kids a lot. They will come in God’s time.

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‘I love blue colour, TuFace music… and my rice, chicken and plantain’

ARE you a fashionista?

I like fashion a lot but I don’t like artificial stuff. I put on clothes that I am very comfortable in. It could be a Jean and T-shirt or even skirt or gown.

First automobile and your favorite car

I think it was a Mercedes Benz 190. I got it while I was still playing in Nigeria. I like Range Rover but will go for European made cars anytime. I have a Nissan Pathfinder at the moment.   

Any phobia?

Not at all.

Favourite colours

Blue is the colour. I love it because it symbolises peace. I do put on other colours though.

Favourite food

I love rice, chicken and plantain. I used to love Ghanaian food because my mum cooked delicacies like kenke mixed with oil and plantain a lot. Unfortunately, I can’t cook Ghanaian food.

Are you a music person?

Yes, I love Christian/gospel music, local or foreign. I like reggae music, especially from the late Bob Marley and Lucky Dube. Country music inspires me and back home in Nigeria, I like Tuface Idibia. A lot of his songs make sense; he tells true life stories. One of his albums, ‘Grass to Grace’, has many songs I like. Music puts me in a good mood to relax when going for games. When I listen to good music, I am good to go.

How do you relax?

I sleep a lot. I attend church regularly and I like my quiet time too.

If not football, what would you have been doing?

I would have studied to the highest level because I wanted to become a lawyer. Nothing is late in life as long as there is life because I can still fulfill my dream of becoming a lawyer. It all depends on God because He might have a different plan for me in life.

Other sports that you play?

I like basketball but I don’t know how to play the game. I can play table tennis.


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