A major standout achievement in less than one year of the inauguration of the Board of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) has been in organising of the NPFL Youth League. Beyond successfully setting up the league in conjunction with the 20 member clubs, some products of the league have gone ahead to join the senior teams of their clubs while four were picked to represent Nigeria in the WAFU U-17 tournament held in Ghana The trio of Remo Stars U-17 team, Oreoluwa Agbenia, Muiz Oladimeji and Daniel Arierhi were invited alongside Rangers goalkeeper, Chinedu Chike by Coach Manu Garba to the team that failed to pick one of the zonal tickets for the 2024 AFCON U-17. At the end of the NPFL U-17 Youth League which held from February 24 to March 3 this year in Benin City after the zonal qualifiers in Port Harcourt, Ado Ekiti, Enugu, Lafia and Kaduna, Rivers United Youth team emerged the champions. Some of the players who participated in the tournament went ahead to star for their senior teams in the 2023/24 NPFL season which ended on June 23. This report by the NPFL Media takes a look at some of those players. In Akure, teenage sensation, Chinedu Nwosu, popularly called Nedu made waves with Sunshine Stars after Coach Kennedy Boboye gave him his first runout for the senior team on Matchday 35. The 17 year old pacey forward provided two assists in the defeat of Kano Pillars and Remo Stars would be holding him responsible for blunting their title push when on Matchday 37, he came in again as a substitute to net twice in Sunshine Stars triumph in the Southwest Derby. Nedu is a star on the rise. The league’s runners-up, Remo Stars had three of their Youth League players moved up to the senior team.  Centre back, Ahmed Akinyele made 28 appearances and netted five goals. Stanley Joseph, a right wing back played in 31 of Remo Stars games and had two goals to his name while Olisa Emmanuel sat out all the season as a senior team player. There was little or no surprises when Rivers United Coach, Evans Ogenyi named the competitions lead scorer, Seiyefa Jackson in the senior team’s matchday squad against Sporting Lagos on May 26 and scoring seven minutes after his introduction as a substitute. Seiyefa would go on to play four more games for the former Nigerian champions. Ogenyi demonstrated more faith in the youth players as four others who played alongside Seiyefa in the NPFL U-17 Youth League were also drafted into the senior squad. In Rivers United match against Gombe United, U-17 Youth League Champions who made the cut included Kingdom Confidence, Ochobi Elias, Paul Junior, Oscar Ozornwanfor James and Seiyefa. Nnamdi Igwillo, the Most Valuable Player (MVP) at the Enugu zonal qualifiers on Monday, July 1 put pen to paper for a professional contract with Rangers International, the NPFL champions. Before him, another graduate of the club’s youth team, Kenneth Igboke not only made it to the squad that clinched Rangers 8th NPFL title, he got called up for the Super Eagles World Cup qualifiers against South Africa and Benin Republic. At Akwa United, two members of the Youth team, Nsikak Alloysius, a left back and offensive midfielder, Itoro Bassey were promoted to the senior team and made a number of appearances for the club in their successful fight to avoid relegation. Taking stock of the accomplishment of the maiden edition of the Youth League, the NPFL Chairman, Hon Gbenga Elegbeleye could not conceal his elation at how fast dividends accrued from what initially could have been considered an experiment. “We have obviously met one of the cardinal objectives for initiating the Youth League for our Clubs in the NPFL, which is to assist the Football Federation and their Coaches scout for talents”, the NPFL Chairman told www.npfl.com.ng This is verifiable as the national U-17 team selected four players from the league and there are a number of upgrades to senior club squads across the NPFL. Still speaking on the idea behind the Youth League, Elegbeleye submitted, “the Youth League is a requirement of the NFF Club Licensing Regulations and the benefits are many, including providing the clubs a steady and ready replacement of ageing players and those who move away to ther clubs”. Plans are afoot to organise camping for select members of the Youth League who would take part in some international youth tournaments in Africa and Europe. Elegbeleye explained that the camping and tournament participation is to further improve the players for their club career development.

Investment partners and broadcast partners of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) and the Sports Media have been commented for the very important roles they played in public acclaim of the league organisation for the 2023/24 season. Hon Gbenga Elegbeleye, the NPFL Chairman cited the partners, GTI Assets Management and StarTimes as partners that have added value to making Nigerians enjoy the NPFL last season. “This is the second season of working with GTI in providing financial support for the running of the league and creating a marketing strategy to attract investment in the league. “Our Match Officials have been condemned to perform well because GTI has ensured timely payment of their indemnities and travel allowance as well as their accommodation and feeding such that they no longer have to depend on host clubs”, explained Elegbeleye. The League Chairman pointed to the broadcast partnership with StarTimes as a fulfilment of a pledge he made at the end of the 2022/23 season, adding “It is commendable that despite the signing of the contract almost midway into the season, StarTimes were able to produce 76 live matches. It would have been more, but for some logistics challenges beyond their control, and the next season will definitely see them producing more games for the growing NPFL fan base, “he assured. He described the Sports Media as symbiotic partners whose roles are indispensable. “Our relationship with the Sports Media is mutually beneficial because we offer very important roles to each other. The media needs our content to generate news and followers while we enjoy the publicity they bring to our games and exposure for our players”, declared Elegbeleye and promised that “the NPFL will under my leadership continue to collaborate with the media in projecting the league”. There has been a general consensus that the just ended season witnessed an uptick in fans attendance, near hitch-free organisation and enhanced live production for television broadcast. Rangers International of Enugu emerged champions with a game in hand after beating Bendel Insurance 2-0 in Enugu on Matchday 37 and proceeding to win 2-1 against Gombe United in Jos on the last day where they were handed the trophy in a colourful ceremony watched by Governors of Plateau and Enugu states.

Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) champions, Rangers International, have continued to remain the busiest side in the transfer window by signing Tekena Garando from Bayelsa United as well as Anayor Ogbonna and youngster Somtochukwu Nwobodo. Bayelsa United, on Thursday, confirmed the departure of the midfielder. “We have confirmed the departure of our midfielder Garando Tekena to league champions Rangers International. We wish you well in your new club,” Bayelsa United stated. Rangers further hooked striker Ogbonna from relegated side, Gombe United to bolster their attacking options. The Nigerian champions did not stop with just landing experienced campaigners, they have also signed on young defensive midfielder Nwobodo to their roster for the coming season. Nwobodo joins from city rivals, Inter Enugu. Nwobodo considers his move to Rangers as “a big opportunity” to further develop his career in the game. “This is a big opportunity that I have been waiting for, and I will do my best to convince the coaches to give me playing time in the star-studded team that is being put together to defend the league and excel on the continent. I thank my coaches and teammates at FC Inter for making me a better player to be spotted by a big side like Rangers,” he told the club’s media after being unveiled. Rangers CEO, Amobi Ezeaku, explained that the clubs scouting team have been tracking the performance of the young midfielder for sometime before he was finally brought to The Catherdral. “Just as it is in the club’s philosophy, this is another great signing for us and it goes a long way to encourage young talents that abound the nook and crannies of the state to keep working hard for opportunities to join Rangers and showcase their God-given talents. The scouting team has followed Somtochukwu and coaches over time and, has shown he has what it takes to make it at the big stage,” said Ezeaku.

* As seven clubs told to upgrade playing turf Lagos will host the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), which will deliberate on the 2024/25 season scheduled to start on August 31, 2024. And towards the August kick-off date, some clubs have been directed to carry out remedial works to ensure that their grounds meet Facilty Requirements of the Club Licensing Regulations. In a letter to the clubs dated July 2, Davidson Owumi, the Chief Operating Officer, felicitated the clubs on the successful completion of the last season and extended the invitation for the AGM. “I write to convey the warm wishes of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) Board and Management and to congratulate member clubs for the successful completion of the 2023/24 season. “It is in working towards the new season’s earnest preparations and take-off on August 31, 2024, that the Board has elected to invite member clubs for the AGM on a tentative date of July 15-16 in Lagos”, the letter to the clubs read. The NPFL informed the clubs through the letter that a number of them have been told about the unacceptable conditions of their playing turf and the absence of broadcast support facilities such as elevated camera stands. “As we look forward to the meeting, letters have been written to some of the clubs whose facilities were found not suitable to host the NPFL matches in the new season in compliance with provisions of Facility requirements of the Club Licensing Regulations”, noted Owumi who urged the clubs not in receipt of the letters to embark on a self review of their facilities to ensure they met requirements for approval.Abia Warriors, Sunshine Stars, Shooting Stars, and Kwara United are among the clubs that have been directed to work on defects in their stadium. The others are Niger Tornadoes, Plateau United, and the newly promoted El-Kanemi Warriors. They were ordered to upgrade their playing turf or face the prospect of playing on alternative grounds.

Chairman of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), Hon Gbenga Elegbeleye took stock of the concluded season and expressed appreciation to the Sports Minister, President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), NPFL Board members and staff, clubs and the media for their respective contributions to what has been acclaimed as the best season in recent years. In an emotional congratulatory message to his board members and staff, he expressed appreciation for their group and individual contributions to the successful organisation of the recently ended 2023/24 season. The NPFL Chairman also sent a thank you message to the Governor of Plateau State, Caleb Mutfwang for the hospitality extended by the state to everyone that took part in the trophy presentation on the last day of the season. Elegbeleye in acknowledging the support of the Sports Minister, Senator John Enoh and NFF President, Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau noted that they provided an enabling environment for the smooth running of the league. To the Board members and Secretariat staff of the NPFL, the Chairman said, “congratulations to all of us for running a successful league season. I never for once doubted our capacity to get it right, though we are not where we desire, but we are obviously miles away from how we met the league. “There have been great positive steps achieved within a short span and definitely there are very brighter years ahead for NPFL.  Kudos to you great comrades in the task of building the league”. He noted that the Governor Mutfwang took time off his very busy state duties to grace the trophy presentation ceremony even when his state sponsored club was not involved. “It was a very magnanimous act by his excellency, Governor Mutfwang to arrive early to participate in the events of the trophy presentation and host his colleague from Enugu State on a day his state club, Plateau United was on an away game. We are grateful to the government and people of Plateau State for their hospitality”, the NPFL Chairman stated. He praised the media for supporting the NPFL through extensive and positive coverage of league matches, players and associate events. “We enjoyed a robust media partnership which resulted in positive engagement on all media platforms. We took constructive criticisms as good feedback to correct observed errors while the positive reports made the league more popular with the fans”, Elegbeleye said. Concluding his post mortem, Elegbeleye expressed optimism that the next season would continue on a growth trajectory in the administration and marketing values of the league. “It is evident that we have in the last two seasons set the foundation to propel the NPFL to an upward growth in all spheres covering administration, quality of play and sponsorship”, concluded Elegbeleye. In the concluded season, the NPFL enjoyed live coverage of 76 matches on Direct to Home (DTH) Satellite broadcast by Startimes and 218 live streaming Over the Top (OTT) broadcast by Propel Sports Africa.

A major feat in live coverage of matches of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) was accomplished on the final matchday of the 2023/24 season by Propel Sports Africa which streamed nine of the ten games in its NPFL-Live app. It is an achievement that got stakeholders applauding the NPFL Streaming Broadcast partners as such number of matches have never been achieved on any platform in the history of the league. Basil Kabbani, the Chairman of Propel Sports explained that the company chose the final day to push for total coverage to ensure that millions of soccer loving Nigerians are able to see their beloved teams perform and watch the final climax to the season. “With the most sophisticated Artificial Intelligence (AI) cameras employed, we aimed to make Nigeria one of the world leaders in sports broadcasting, and Propel salutes the wisdom and courage of NPFL Chairman, Hon Gbenga Elegbeleye and the NPFL board, GTI and the President of the NFF, Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau in championing this fabulous initiative”, Kabbani remarked. He assured the clubs and fans that Propel would be investing more on infrastructure to ensure seamless Streaming of more matches in the new season. “We look forward to the 24/25 season and beyond for further growth and success as we seek to invest in more sophisticated infrastructure to offer viewers an improved broadcast on the OTT platform,” he continued. He went to describe the just ended season as a learning curve which turned out to be a huge success. “It is the first time in Africa, if not globally that AI Cameras have been deployed in this magnitude to cover over 300 matches in a season and we are proud of our Nigerian crew who learnt and operated the facilities within a very short period”, the Propel boss reflected. He said the company investment includes the deployment of ten AI Cameras in Nigeria; hiring and training over 80 technicians and commentators and investment in local telecommunications and Starlinks for broadcast streaming uploads.

The Executive Governor of Oyo State, Engineer Seyi Makinde, has expressed happiness over the performance of Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) of Ibadan, in the just concluded NPFL 2023/24 season. The sport loving governor, was physically present at the Lekan Salami Stadium last Sunday, to cheer the team to victory over Sporting Lagos in the final game of the season. The governor, who watched as his darling team pipped the Lagos based team 1-0, assured that all steps would be taken to ensure the team gets a continental slot next season. “The team has made considerable progress in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), finishing in the fourth place compared to last season. “As it is, there is room for the team to accomplish even more and we will go back to the drawing board to work towards our goal of qualifying for continental Championship next season”, stated the Oyo State helmsman. The governor, who arrived the match venue before kickoff, performed the ceremonial handshake with the two teams and the match officials and also presented the Shooting Stars’ Player of the Season Award to Adelowo Gbolagade after the encounter. It was all cheers for Makinde while stepping out of the arena, as supporters and fans as well as sports lovers hailed him for his commitment to the Oluyole Warriors in the just concluded season.

It is the final matchday of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) with plenty to still play for despite Rangers winning the title in the last matchweek. Here are the match officials appointed for Matchweek 38. There will be nine LIVE matches all together for this gameweek on NPFL-Live and StarTimes. Sunday, June 23, 2024 3SC v SPORTING LAGOS (Live on NPFL-Live) Referee: Grema Mohammed Assistant referee 1: Yusuf Ibrahim Assistant referee 2: Anas Ibrahim Fourth official: Dahiru Mohammed Kick-off: 4pm Venue: Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan BENDEL INSURANCE v BAYELSA UNITED (Live on NPFL-Live) Referee: Bashir Salihu Assistant referee 1: Ahmad Tijjani Assistant referee 2: Musa Dung Fourth official: Saeed Abdulazeez Kick-off: 4pm Venue: Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City GOMBE UNITED v RANGERS (Live on StarTimes & NPFL-Live) Referee: Joseph Ogabor Assistant referee 1: Abdulmajeed Usman Assistant referee 2: Sunday Uboho Fourth official: Saeed Olatunde Kick-off: 4pm Venue: New Jos Stadium, Jos AKWA UNITED v RIVERS UNITED (Live on NPFL-Live) Referee: Ahmadu Rabiu Assistant referee 1: Ahmed Yakubu Assistant referee 2: Ikenna Okerulu Fourth official: Kehinde Rotimi Kick-off: 4pm Venue: Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo DOMA UNITED v ABIA WARRIORS (Live on NPFL-Live) Referee: Abubakar Abdullahi Assistant referee 1: Isah Usman Assistant referee 2: Sadiq Adejumo Fourth official: Mustapha Alhassan Kick-off: 4pm Venue: Pantami Stadium, Gombe REMO STARS V KATSINA UNITED (Live on NPFL-Live) Referee: Patrick Egba Assistant referee 1: Peter Ogwu Assistant referee 2: Imuetinyan Ikponmwosa Fourth official: Emmanuel Kolawole Kick-off: 4pm Venue: Remo Stars Stadium, Ikenne NIGER TORNADOES v SUNSHINE STARS Referee: Nurudeen Abubakar Assistant referee 1: Tejiri Digbori Assistant referee 2: Idris Mohammed Fourth official: Ifeanyi Ibeneme Kick-off: 4pm Venue: Ahmadu Bello Stadium, Kaduna KWARA UNITED v HEARTLAND (Live on NPFL-Live) Referee: Olawale Fawole Assistant referee 1: Samuel Pwadutakam Assistant referee 2: Michael Ubah Fourth official: Oluwatobi Mojeed Kick-off: 4pm Venue: Kwara State Stadium, Ilorin KANO PILLARS v LOBI STARS (Live on NPFL-Live) Referee: Faisal Inuwa Assistant referee 1: Mohammed M. Sachi Assistant referee 2: Emmanuel Omada Fourth official: Chimene Ajibo Kick-off: 4pm Venue: Sani Abacha Stadium, Kano ENYIMBA v PLATEAU UNITED (Live on NPFL-Live) Referee: Yemisi Akintoye Assistant referee 1: Damilola Oloyede Assistant referee 2: Ismaila Rasheed Fourth official: Ridwan Ayeni Kick-off: 4pm Venue: Enyimba Stadium, Aba