The Nationwide League One (NLO) has kicked off its new season with a resounding success in Nyanya, FCT, earning high praise from the league’s chief executive officer, Shola Ogunowo. Speaking on Friday, Ogunowo commended the teams for their excellent display and hailed the event as “near perfect.”
The opening matches, which took place at the Hovel Prime Stadium, saw G-Medix Football Academy defeat Olympic Hybrid FC 5-0 in a thrilling spectacle. The NLO chief highlighted the impressive turnout, noting that between 1,000 to 2,000 spectators were present, demonstrating the community’s enthusiasm for grassroots football. The match was also broadcast live on NTA Sports, further expanding its reach to a wider audience.
Ogunowo expressed his satisfaction with the successful event, noting that it validates the league’s strategy to bring football closer to local communities. The positive reception in Nyanya sets a high standard for the rest of the season, which aims to promote youth football development across Nigeria.
“The match was broadcast live on the NTA Sports channel, allowing thousands of football fans to watch and enjoy the game,” he said.
He noted that NLO planned to bring the game to the community, and finally, it is here.
“ The league aims to bring football to local communities, with the first match in Nyanya being a milestone.
“ You can imagine how the second game and subsequent matches will be if this is the first impression.
“ I am very satisfied. And it was because we planned it, and we are succeeding in it because this community has never witnessed an NLO match before.
“ The first impression here will last longer in our memories because you can see the spectators watching these matches and we are very happy,”he said.
He acknowledged the presence of partners, including MTN, AfrikScout, and Sofa Score, who contributed to the success of the match.
Ogunowo outlined the league’s target to increase the number of participating youths and clubs.
“ The NLO aims to include more young, upcoming clubs and promote football development across all states in Nigeria.
“ Some teams failed to meet the registration deadline which posed a challenge. To address this, the league would rejig the fixtures to accommodate teams that fulfilled the registration procedure,” he said.
He added that the league’s 10-year master plan aims to reach 1,000 football clubs by 2030.
He expressed confidence in the league’s progress and growth, citing the increased number of teams allowed to participate from each state.
“Our aim is to engage more young players in organised football currently estimated to be around 10-20 per cent of potential participants.
“ The league has increased the number of teams from eight to 16 per state, promoting grassroots football development,” he said.
“NLO emphasises adherence to registration deadlines and rules to ensure a smooth, professional league operation in Nigeria, he added
