Nigeria ready for Women Pro-Soccer

Bassey Koma, spokesman of NFA Women Division tells nigeriasports.com the task was handed down shortly after the first-ever Women Football Administrative Course in Africa, which was organized by World soccer governing body FIFA in Abuja early this month.

“The participants must have learnt a lot on issues like early preparation and planning, sponsorship, match organisation, adding value to games through fanfare and other side-attractions, funding among others.

These will form the butt of their action plan when the pro-league takes off next year. The earlier they start planning towards it, the better” said Alhaja Ayo Omidiran, Chairperson of the Nigerian Women Football Development Committee.

“We expect that Club owners will do their bit to make the professional soccer league worthwhile. On the part of the NFA, we will not only be proud to enter history books as the first country in Africa to go professional in women soccer but I can assure you that the Clubs, the Players, the Media and fans as well, will be winners in the new dispensation” she said.

Already, the NFA is in the process of working out the modalities for the Nigeria Women Professional Soccer League with two of the Committees tasked to raise a blueprint for the smooth take-off of the league.

Secretary-General of the NFA, Taiwo Ogunjobi said in Abuja that given the manner female football was growing in the country, the only way to get more from the game would be to go professional because of its immense benefits.

“About twenty of our female players are presently playing for foreign clubs for peanuts or nothing because we are presently playing amateur football,” he said.

Among Nigerian female footballers currently playing outside the shores of the country include the duo of Florence Omagbemi and Mercy Akide, (New Hampton Roads Piranhas, USA) Eberech iOparaku, Ugochi Oparaku, PatienceAvre, Nkiru Okosieme, (USA), Stella Mbachu and Rita Nwadike (China), GloriaUsieta, (Kavala FC, Greece) Maureen Madu, (Norway) Tosin Otubanjo, (Arsenal Ladies, England) Kehinde Akiyonde, (Charlton Ladies, England) Agnes Egejeru, Chi-Chi Igbo (Fortuna Hjorring, Denmark), Stella Godwin, Victoria Ephraim, Ndidi Kanu, (Odense Bulklub, Denmark) Ladi Akaahan, (Frankfurt Ladies ,Germany)and Minu Sanusi, Esther Udegbe, (Norway) among others.