Nigeria Premier Football League chairman Gbenga Elegbeleye has hailed the progress made by the domestic top flight after unveiling a new three-year title sponsorship agreement with EUROMATCH worth $7.5 million.
The landmark deal, announced in Abuja on Wednesday, will see EUROMATCH invest $2.5 million in the NPFL every season for the next three years, providing what Elegbeleye believes is a major financial boost for clubs and players.
“Let me inform you that we now have new sponsors in the name of EUROMATCH,” Elegbeleye said.
“The amount involved in the three-year sponsorship deal is $2.5 million per season. So, for the three seasons they will be sponsoring us, we will get a total of $7.5 million.”
The NPFL chairman revealed that 60 per cent of the sponsorship proceeds will go directly to participating clubs, with the intention of improving players’ wages and welfare.
“That will help in increasing players’ wages,” Elegbeleye said.
“Sixty per cent goes straight to the clubs. This must be reflected in the welfare of the footballers.”
Elegbeleye said the development represents another major step in the league’s efforts to improve its commercial value, organisation and appeal, particularly after what he described as significant progress over the last three years.
He also pointed to the growing number of supporters returning to NPFL stadiums, saying the challenge has gradually shifted from attracting spectators to managing the increasing crowds and improving their matchday experience.
“We now have massive spectators coming out to watch our matches,” he said.
“We are no longer struggling to get the spectators to the stadium; we are rather trying to manage the crowd.”
The NPFL chairman also praised former Super Eagles stars who have returned to the domestic league, singling out Brown Ideye and Ahmed Musa for helping to raise the profile of the competition.
Ideye returned to Nigeria with Enyimba after a long spell in European football, while former Super Eagles captain Musa returned to Kano Pillars. Their presence has helped generate renewed interest in the NPFL and encouraged other Nigerian players abroad to consider returning home.
Elegbeleye believes such moves are important for the league because the players themselves remain its biggest attraction.
“In football and in sport generally, the athletes and the players are the attractions, not the administrators,” he said.
“The business is about the players. Nigerians should know them. It is not the job of an administrator to be in the public eye. Let our players shine. Let the world know them.”
The new sponsorship comes after a period in which the NPFL has placed greater emphasis on commercial growth, improved match organisation, broadcasting, infrastructure and league integrity. Elegbeleye had previously identified financial sustainability, infrastructure and compliance as some of the major challenges still facing the competition.
Former Sports Minister and Presidential Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, also welcomed the EUROMATCH agreement, describing it as evidence that efforts to treat sports as a business are beginning to attract serious investment.
NFF president Ibrahim Gusau also commended the partnership, saying the federation has remained committed to improving the organisation of the league and creating better opportunities for Nigerian players.
“We are happy to see this deal happen,” Gusau said, adding that the agreement was part of broader efforts to ensure the Nigerian league continues to create opportunities for its players.
The unveiling was attended by several former Super Eagles stars, including Austin Eguavoen, Daniel Amokachi, Samson Siasia and Brown Ideye, underlining the growing interest of former internationals in the development of the domestic game.
For Elegbeleye, however, the $7.5 million agreement is more than a sponsorship announcement.
It is evidence, he believes, that the NPFL is beginning to turn years of reform efforts into tangible commercial progress.
And with 60 per cent of the new sponsorship money earmarked for the clubs, the league chairman will now face a bigger test — ensuring that the commercial growth translates into better salaries, improved welfare, stronger clubs and a more attractive NPFL for Nigerian footballers and fans.
