Nigeria Nationwide league secures N20m sponsorship deal
Abuja – The Nigeria Nationwide League (NNWL) has secured a three-year sponsorship deal worth N20 million with a private company, Puzzles Group Limited.
The deal, expected to take effect from the 2014/2015 NNWL season, has a two-year renewal option designed to take grassroots football to the next level.
Mr Sola Ogunnowo, the Executive Secretary of the NNWL, disclosed this on Wednesday to newsmen in Abuja.
“The sponsorship will also see the establishment of a website and electronic portal for the league.
“This portal will be an electronic market for Nationwide footballers where scouts, agents, coaches and managers can enquire, share and exchange information about NNWL players,’’ Ogunnowo said.
According to Ogunnowo, the deal is the outcome of a meeting held in Abuja on Nov. 28 between the league managers and the management of the company.
He noted that clubs in the NNWL were eager to do business with the company for them to have full benefit of their sponsorship.
“We thank the Puzzles Group for accepting to work with us and I want to believe that this is the first step we are taking in rebranding the Nationwide League.
“Any league without a sponsor is not yet a brand; we hope that the company will live up to expectation being the first company to come out to sponsor NNWL.
“It has never happened since the inception of football in the country and we are happy that it is happening now,’’ he said.
The NNWL scribe further said that sponsorship would open a new vista in the development of grassroots football in the country.
He said, “football in Nigeria is the largest employer of labour and we believe that the sponsors will gain more sponsoring football rather than the “white-elephant projects’’ they embark on as their corporate social responsibility.
“We are looking towards unveiling the sponsors in January 2015 during the NNWL congress but this must be after the legal teams of both parties have ffinalizedon the deal.
Ogunnowo urged other corporate organisations to follow suite noting that about 15 companies were approached before the current deal was struck by their marketer, Premium Sports. (NAN)
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