New helmsman of the Nigeria Women’s Football League (NWFL) is ready to punch above her weight and here explained what can be done to make women’s football thrive, writes Tunde Liadi.
Nigeria Women’s Football League (NWFL) chairman, Nkechi Obi, has stated that the women’s league would enjoy a renaissance under her reign, adding her immediate target is to get a working league that can consolidate on the impressive performance of the Super Falcons at the recently held 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Obi said as much during a courtesy call to the Imo State Commissioner for Youth, Sports and Social Development, Honourable Emeka Okoronkwo in Owerri as she rolled out a detailed and well articulated development plan ahead of the new season which she said, would become official at the NWFL 2023 Annual General Assembly (AGA) billed for October 5th in Lagos.
She revealed that her visit to Imo State was to solicit the support of Imo Government for Heartland Queens ahead of the new season and to encourage the club’s sponsor to key into the development plans of the league board in order to make Heartland Queens a better team.
She said the watch party organised by the NWFL board on the final of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup between Spain and England in partnership with La Liga, was used to mirror the support women football can get and that it was a success.
She stressed that the global rating got by the Super Falcons at the World Cup can only be translated locally through a viable league.
She enumerated that Women’s football rising is to help rejuvenate the women’s league and that the model the board would adopt which becomes official after the October 5th AGA include Class to Pitch, Players’ Personal Development, Clubs’ development and Media.
“We want to correct the impression that we have only less than 500 players in the Nigerian league. One of the first reports we were privy to get was the CAF Women’s Report for the 2022 WAFCON where CAF said we only have 420 players. I was in the NWFL board briefly in 2017 for about four months and then we had 2500 players and what could have happened that made the list go down drastically under six years?” Obi exclaimed.
“It was then I was told CAF only considered the Premiership clubs. We must correct that impression from CAF.
“It was among the things Women’s Board Rising was formed. This encompasses Class to Pitch where women players can play from the grassroots to anywhere they like to play to.”
Obi confirmed that 16 teams will play in the coming season’s NWFL Premiership while NWFL Championship will have between 12-20 clubs while the NWFL Nationwide League has been scrapped and replace with the state leagues.
She said the state leagues would be run by the states FA officials and that a minimum of six clubs would participate in an annual competition in which the winner will proceed to the zonal championship to meet with winners from other states with the zonal winner qualifying for the NWFL Championship while six clubs will be relegated in their stead.
She said that would ensure at least 180 clubs participate from the grassroots annually and that every effort would be made to support the state league to make it work.
“We have set up development training programmes for various actors such as training for female coaches and referees because we lack a lot of female coaches and referees.
“After that we will train the media teams because we are not getting the desired publicity and then afterward we will now draft in a career orientation program called players rising for all the female players.
All these development programmes are aimed at restructuring the league and ensuring we get the best out of this league.
She said another thing the Class to Pitch would do is to ensure there are more female coaches.
She continued: “We are also into the encouragement of women’s referees to attend Referee programmes while Players Personal Development, Club Development and the Media development as other aspects of the Class to Pitch initiatives.”
She also disclosed that under club development, La Liga will roll out Club Tweaning programme where women’s clubs that conform with the club licensing procedures in the area of governance structure, administration and management such clubs would be tweaned with a club in Spain.
“We have entered into partnership with LaLiga to help create an avenue for our players to be able to secure deals in top Spanish clubs. The clubs too will benefit if they are qualified as rated by La Liga representatives.
She also revealed plans to unveil major stakeholders in the business world who would help drive home the needed cash to run women’s football.
“ In our bid to help develop women’s football in Nigeria, we have been able to engage critical stakeholders, including those beyond our reach by creating a viable channel of communication.
“Stakeholders engagement is very critical to achieving the desired development results in the women’s league but the stakeholders are not only people in your eco system because the problem of sports can not be supported by the sports people alone, individuals in other industries can play a major role.
“In the light of this development, we have designed two initiative called the SISTER HOOD initiative and the HE FOR SHE campaign.
“The league needs about N700 million Naira to run it and put in place the kind of infrastructure needed to succeed. This initiative will help secure at least 30% of this expected income.”
She said to this effect the SisterHood campaign would be launched at the October 5th AGA with eight women business executives given the tasks of raising money to help in the area of Players’ development and other capacity building Programmes while the She for Her campaign will have 10 men who have reached out to know areas in which they would be willing to help, saddled with the task of raising funds to help improve infrastructure and help secure money for the running of the league.
She confirmed the November 15th kick off date for the league among other notable changes for more effectiveness.
In his response to her appeal, the Imo commissioner for Sports, Emeka Okoronkwo reassured her of his support and commitment to the success of the league.
“Heartland Queens became very prominent and popular in the reign of His Excellency Governor Hope Uzodimma.
“Be rest assured that this your visit is not in vain. I want to assure you, that our team Heartland queens will be committed to the programmes of the body.
“Everything needed to make a good team is available for them. I’m sure they are preparing well by engaging in preseason training and matches keeping themselves fit for the challenge that will come up in November,” the Commissioner said.
