The president of Showtime Flag Football, Amuda Azeez has enthused that the expansion of the body’s annual league will not only make it tougher but would also help all the players to improve in their performances.
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Azeez stated as much during an exclusive chat with Sports247 on the sidelines of week one matches in this year’s Showtime Flag Football League (SFFL), which has teams from outside Lagos State featuring for the first time ever.
This arises from a recent agreement that saw Azeez emerge as the vice-president of Nigeria Federation of American Football (NIFAF), which he viewed as a development that will equally enhance the league’s impact.
“Consistency is key for us. So, we’re just going to keep doing what we’ve been doing every time. We’ll keep delivering the same high standards of flag football and always ensure that we keep the league running.
“We’ll deliver what is expected of us as much as possible; though this is the first time that we have affiliations from other states,” Azeez affirmed.
He specifically mentioned two of the teams from outside Lagos, as a major step in making the sport become known all across Nigeria, even as he promised that the organisers will continue to maintain it as a fully professional sport that pays it players adequately.
“We have Ogun Horns and Delta Braves here in week one, and we’re going to keep that going. Every now and then, we’ll keep having games like that, because our aim is to spread flag football to all states in Nigeria.
“It’s always been a professional league and, for the past three seasons, players are paid some form of compensation or the other.
“There’s also a consistency in ensuring that players are contracted from time-to-time. So, we’re going to keep that going, and the professional nature will surely grow,” Azeez enthused.
He concluded by emphasising that expanding the league does not necessarily mean they will make changes to the basic structures of Showtime Flag Football, but projected that improvements will automatically come for the players, teams and quality of games as the days go by.
“It’s not about doing something different, because we’re going to keep on doing the same thing we’ve been doing, but we’ll do it better from time-to-time.
“It will still be a league of ten competing teams, and the matches will still be every Sunday; but the players will improve and the games will be tougher,” Azeez assured.
Sports247 gathered that matches for week one this past Sunday at Showtime Arena in Lekki area of Lagos were:
1. Rivers Alphas vs Lagos Knights
2. Ogun Horns vs Delta Braves
3. Abia Warriors vs Lagos Greenbacks
4. Lagos Rebels vs Cross River Ikan
5. Ibom Raptors vs Delta Panthers
