The Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL) has announced that its maiden Annual General Assembly (AGA), will be held on October 5th ahead of the kick off of the season in November.
The AGA a precursor to the NWFL 2023/2024 new season with all the clubs and other key stakeholders expected to actively participate.
Briefing journalists on Wednesday in Abuja, the chairman NWFL, Ms Nkechi Obi, in her maiden briefing after about six weeks of inauguration of her board also disclosed the strategic plans of the NWFL to take the game to the next leval.
According to her one their strategic plan for 2023/2024 season and beyond is the aim to reach out to one million spectators or audience in Match Day attendance per season as part of steps to attract more viewership to the league.
Ms Nkechi Obi, stated that 216 clubs, 16 from the Premiership, 20 Championship clubs and 180 States League across the nation are expected to engage in 820 matches which will involve over 7,000 players, coaches and officials.
Presenting a document titled ‘Nigeria Women Football League: Women’s Football Rising, Strategic Direction – 2023 and Beyond’, Obi said as a national body empowered by statute to provide the route for female players to reach the pinnacle of their careers, the NWFL will implement multi-layered stakeholders’ approach that will take into consideration the inputs of states’ football associations, clubs, players, coaches, corporate organisations, policy makers and others who are key components of football development.
She assured that her board will pursue vigorously “a strong women’s football league, that is competitive, with excited fans, with a distinctive appeal, well governed and provides a pathway for professional development of the game and players.”
“The rapid expansion of women’s football globally and in Africa offers an opportunity to address the lack of capacity in women’s football clubs, shortage of volunteers, poor access to quality facilities and gaps in the player pathway in Nigeria.
“Business people can create new or buy into existing clubs to intentionally drive a joined-up approach by all stakeholders with the girl-player at the heart of the plan. This will encourage young school girls to join clubs and offer them an unbroken pathway to realise their aspirations,” Obi said.
Obi said that the strategic plan aims to exponentially grow women’s football in Nigeria through the commercialization of club football which will be executed to the latter. She added that the NWFL annual activities will take into consideration the development and training of coaches, players, referees, clubs and media for optimum performance.
