Lagos Marines Beat Riviera Eagles in Cote D'Ivoire

The International American football is gradually making a name for itself in Nigeria and dribbling its way into other African countries since its arrival in 2013.

The Lagos Marines stormed Cote D'Ivoire and defeated the Riviera Gold Golden Eagles of Abidjan Felix Houphouet Boigny University Sport Field on June 18.

The Marines defeated its opponent 13 goals to 12 and according to the head coach, Dominik Mueller, it is the first international contest between two clubs in West Africa.

“The turnout was very encourag- ing. Although the American football is still coming up in Africa, we believe that with time, the sport will be popular here.”

He expressed joy after the successful trip through Benin Republic, Togo and Ghana, “The Lagos Marines had already made a name for themselves in Ghana by running three American Football clinic sessions for scores of children between ages eight and 16 on the beaches and at a primary school in CapeCoast.“

Mueller commended the Lagos state government in Nigeria for providing a conducive platform for the boys to play and continue their training, adding that the Lagos Marines, currently practise on Saturdays at LASUTH. “We are counting on more talents to join the team on both the playing and coaching level.”

The German Head coach told THISDAY that the Association had plans to introduce American Football in secondary schools starting with Lagos then other parts of the country.

He emphasised that he Lagos Marines are now considering to play their way 'westwards' along the coast planning to taking on club sides in Takoradi in Ghana and Abidjan in Cote D'Ivoire and hold training camps for these countries as well.

Former world number one Victoria Azarenka is going for glory at Wimbledon - less than seven months after giving birth to son Leo.

Azarenka, 27, who plays Britain's Heather Watson in round three on Friday, has been speaking this week about the challenges of juggling a professional tennis career with motherhood.

Kim Clijsters, who won the 2009 US Open 18 months after the arrival of daughter Jada, is one of only three women to have won Grand Slam titles after becoming a mother.

"For a first-time mum, travelling on the road full-time is hard - but I am very glad I did it," Clijsters told BBC Sport. "It was a big adventure for us as a family and I would not have changed anything." There has been plenty of baby-talk at SW19, with Luxembourg player Mandy Minella competing while four and a half months pregnant and seven-time Wimbledon winner Serena Williams absent because she is expecting.

Like Azarenka, Williams intends to return to the Tour after giving birth - but what will change for her?

From sleeping babies in walk-in wardrobes to emptying the mini-bar, Clijsters tells BBC Sport what it is like to be a tennis mum. 'We tried to keep everything the same' - finding a routine for baby Azarenka is playing only her second tournament since Leo was born in December. She is bidding to emulate Clijsters, Margaret Court and Evonne Goolagong by winning a Grand Slam title as a mother - Goolagong, who won at SW19 in 1980, is the only mother to have won a Wimbledon singles title in the tournament's 140-year history.

Clijsters: "My mum cooked every day for us when I was young. She was there all the time and that was the vision I had for Jada too.

"I had to adjust, of course, because at home I was changing nappies and preparing food myself as soon as she woke up, but I still felt like we had it all organised when we went on the road.

"My husband Brian was always there and we also travelled with a nanny who took care of Jada. It meant Brian and I had our own time as well and could even go out to dinner occasionally. That was important.

"We just tried to balance things like that and have the same routine, and it worked really well for her, and for us.

"As a player, you don't normally have much order to your life but I wanted to structure things for Jada. I didn't want different people to be taking care of her at different tournaments.

"It was the same with food, although she eats almost everything. We travelled the world with a baby-food steamer-blender and I must know every organic store near all of the tournaments I played at.

"That was the first thing we did - we would ask for a fridge to be added to our hotel room or we would empty the mini-bar out so we could stock up on vegetables and fish, or whatever she had to eat.

"Jada was potty-trained in a hotel room too. All the little things like that happened while we were travelling the world.

"She is nine now and is will adjust to anything, and I think that is something to do what she was doing at such a young age. 'Nothing is perfect' - dealing with life on tour Clijsters took daughter Jada for a walk in her buggy in New York's Central Park on the morning of the 2009 US Open final - she beat Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki on Arthur Ashe Stadium later that day, and successfully defended her title the following year.

Clijsters: "With Jada, it was so hectic in the beginning for us with the media at tournaments that I just tried to keep her away from it.

"When I won the US Open in 2009, she hardly ever came out to Flushing Meadows. She came for the final and was able to sit in one of the boxes upstairs, and that was it.

"That day I had delayed her nap time a little bit, so she was able to stay up a bit later for the final.

"Sometimes things happen and you just have to juggle your routine. I have three children now and it is still the same. There are always different challenges but that is the great thing about being a mum.

"For me I love that everything is not perfect. When we lie in bed or sit on the couch, my husband and I can talk and laugh sometimes and say 'what happened today? It was chaos all over'.

"It was the same on the tour too. Sometimes we would stay in hotels and would not know how the rooms would be divided - we would ask for an extra room, but it would be on a different floor.

"We did not just throw money at the problem because that was not the way I was brought up - we tried to figure it out ourselves. Sometimes Jada even slept in a walk-in closet because there was nowhere else for her. "She was a pretty good sleeper, which really helped around my matches. "The one thing I was worried about was her getting sick because it is easy to deal with that at home but if you are in, say, Thailand I would not know where to go or who to ask.

"But it all went pretty smoothly in the end. She needed some medication from time to time but we have doctors and physios with us on tour so in that sense we were lucky because we had some of the best medical staff and facilities around." 'A new perspective - family is important, no trophy comes close' Clijsters: "My husband would be there to watch my matches but if I had to practise, it would just be with my coach and trainer.

"Brian would do something with Jada so their bond is very strong because they have been together so much - it is the same as I had with my father, and I love seeing it with them too.

"But sometimes, as a mother, I felt guilty for leaving Jada behind and me going off to tennis.