Chairman board of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL), Honourable Gbenga Elegbeleye has stated the commitment of his board to increase the revenue base of clubs so they can generate money to attract quality players to the league from within and outside the country.
The former federal lawmaker stated this during the inaugural Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the NPFL held on Tuesday at the Sandralia Hotel, Abuja. He said his board will be firm in upholding the rules and regulations guiding the league without favouring any clubs and will be fair to all for the interest of the league. He added that the meeting has shown clearly the intention, mission and drive of the board to uplift the NPFL to be competitive on the continent and commercially attractive to corporate bodies in Nigeria.
According to Elegbeleye, the NPFL has signed an agreement with Propel Sports Africa (PSA) on broadcast streaming of matches. He said PSA for a start has deployed its cameras to ten match venues which cover every geo-political zone in the country.
“Our meeting today is indicative of our intention, mission and drive to uplift the NPFL to be competitive on the continent and commercially attractive to Corporate Nigeria and Businesses. Our aim is to increase the revenue base to such an extent that the clubs will generate money from sponsorship shares to attract quality players from beyond Nigeria and also improve their infrastructure.
“It gladdens my heart to again harp on the broadcast streaming deal with Propel Sports Africa which as of today, has deployed cameras to ten venues as a start-up. They plan to have a camera in each Stadium in the long run while we work out modalities to move cameras from one location to the nearest. So far the AI Cameras have been deployed, installed and tested in Lagos, Ibadan, Benin, Uyo and Aba. Other locations are Ilorin, Jos, Gombe, Katsina and Kano. The distribution covers the geographical zones. In the days ahead, there will be a big announcement coming on the Broadcast Streaming deal.
“Let me also use this very opportune occasion to appeal to our club leaders here to offer all required support to the Propel Sports Africa team as they start. Firstly, is that all individual club streaming activity is no longer allowed as clubs will be offered the data of all their matches including individual analytics for each player.
“As we move to commence the new season, this board will be firm in the enforcement of the rules and regulations as well as be very fair to all. There will be no favouritism in applying the rules no matter whose interest is at stake as our sole interest is the good of the league.
“Therefore, we would be building on the achievements of the last season to ensure that Nigeria’s domestic league reclaims a pride of place in Africa. It is also important to recognise the role of the media in the success of our plans. We will be counting on your support again as we embark on this journey. We appreciate your criticisms when not destructive because negative reports chase away potential sponsors. You will be receiving various reports as indicated on the agenda from the Secretary and the Chief Operating Officer.
Elegbeleye also acknowledged the tremendous support the league has received from its partners, GTI Assets Management. He said NPFL will be counting on the mutually beneficial relationship to grow the financial base of the league.
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