The Nigeria Women’s Football League (NWFL) has confirmed that Abia State will host the 2025 edition of the NWFL Championship, scheduled to run from September 11 to 21, 2025.

According to a press release by Samuel Ahmadu, the Media Director of Nigeria Women’s Football League, the  Championship, which serves as the second tier of women’s football in Nigeria, will feature 17 clubs competing for four promotion slots to the elite NWFL Premiership for the 2025/2026 season.

The NWFL Chief Operating Officer, Modupe Shabi, adds that the competition will maintain the highest standards of fair play and integrity, ensuring a transparent pathway for aspiring clubs.

“We want to assure all participating teams that the Championship will be conducted under the highest standards of fair play, with a level playing ground for everyone involved,” Shabi said in a statement on Monday. “Our commitment is to ensure that the competition reflects the values of transparency, integrity, and sporting excellence.”

Teams are expected to arrive in Abia State on September 11, with the draws and pre-match meetings scheduled for September 12. The first round of matches will kick off on September 13, continuing until September 21, with rest days built into the schedule to allow for player recovery.

Venues and Format

All fixtures will be staged at the Abiriba Stadium and the Umuahia Township Stadium.

The 17 clubs will be drawn into four groups, with the winners of each group automatically gaining promotion to the NWFL Premiership.

The participating teams areSunshine Queens FC, Osun Babes FC, Royal Queens FC, Pelican Stars FC and Ghetto Tigers FC. The others are: Wazbak Int’l FC, Castmog Ladies FC, Chosen Generation Angels FC, Imo Striker Queens FC and Unification FC.

Also featuring are: Delta Babes FC, Ahudiyannem Queens FC, First Mahi Babes FC, Fortress Ladies FC, Kwara Ladies FC, Moje Queens FC and Gallant Queens FC.

The tournament follows the successful staging of the 2024/25 NWFL Premiership Super 6 earlier this year in Ikenne, underscoring the league body’s efforts to expand opportunities for women’s football development across the country.

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In a bid to strengthen its financial base and attract more corporate backing, the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) has appointed renowned sports marketing expert, Mike Itemuagbor, as Special Advisor to its board.

Itemuagbor, founder of Padmozi Sports Marketing (PSM), was personally invited by NPFL Chairman, Gbenga Elegbeleye, to bring his wealth of experience and extensive corporate network to reposition the league for greater sponsorship opportunities.

Announcing the appointment, Elegbeleye described the engagement as a major boost for the NPFL’s commercial prospects, adding that Itemuagbor would be offering his services on a pro bono basis.

“The best part of this is that this great marketing mind is going to render his services free of any personal financial reward,” the NPFL boss said.

With over three decades in sports marketing, Itemuagbor has worked closely with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and is the founder of the globally recognised Okpekpe Mountain Race, which has drawn elite long-distance runners from around the world.

He also played a pivotal role in securing some of the biggest sponsorship deals in Nigerian football history, including the landmark Globacom partnership with the national teams and the then Nigeria Premier League.

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President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Ibrahim Musa Gusau, has expressed satisfaction with the pace and quality of work on the NFF-FIFA Players’ Hostel and new training pitches currently under construction in Abuja.

During an inspection visit to the site, located opposite the NFF Secretariat inside the MKO Abiola National Stadium, on Thursday, Gusau, accompanied by senior NFF officials, was conducted round the project by lead architect, Gambo Ahmadu.

Gusau, with Architect Ahmadu (second right), Olajire (third right), Abdulrahaman (third left) and Ayanbunmi (left)

The facility, whose groundbreaking was performed on March 18 this year, has a 24-month completion target. Gusau said he was confident the contractors would deliver on schedule, given their current momentum.

“I am happy with the pace of the work, the seriousness shown so far by the contractors, and the quality of the work as seen so far,” Gusau said.

“They have a 24-month mandate to deliver, and at the pace they are going, they should be able to complete the Players’ Hostel and Training Pitches on or before that timeline. This is a legacy project for our administration and very close to our hearts.”

Artist’s impression of the new pitches

The NFF boss and his team inspected the site of the new pitches, the old training pitch slated for extensive renovation, and the two-storey hostel building.

The ground floor will house offices and conference rooms, while the upper floors will provide accommodation for national team players and officials.

Gusau also requested a detailed progress report with photographs for submission to FIFA, noting that the project was approved at one of the first meetings of the current Executive Committee, with funding drawn from FIFA 2.0 residuals and the FIFA 3.0 programme.

He was joined on the inspection tour by NFF Director of Communications, Dr Ademola Olajire; Deputy Director of Competitions, Dr Ayo Abdulrahaman; Assistant Director of Protocol, Emmanuel Ayanbunmi; and Special Assistant to the President, Abubakar Danladi Umar.

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