NPFL clubs to get 60% of new $7.5m sponsorship deal

Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) clubs are set to benefit significantly from a new three-year, $7.5 million title sponsorship deal with EUROMATCH. The agreement, valued at $2.5 million per season, will see 60 percent of the funds channeled directly to the clubs.

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Let me announce to you that the deal is about $2.5m every season from EUROMATCH for three seasons. That is $7.5m.

NPFL Chairman Gbenga Elegbeleye announced the financial arrangement, emphasizing that the larger share for clubs is intended to improve players' wages and overall welfare. "This must be reflected in the welfare of the footballers," Elegbeleye stated during the unveiling in Abuja.

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That will help in increasing players’ wages. Of course, we don’t give the money to the clubs ourselves, but 60 per cent goes straight to the clubs. That is the agreement. This must be reflected in the welfare of the footballers.

The sponsorship marks a major commercial uplift for the domestic league, which has been implementing reforms to enhance club finances, player welfare, broadcasting, branding, and the competition's commercial value. Elegbeleye highlighted that the league's commercial strategy deliberately places players at the forefront.

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In football and in sport generally, the athletes and the players are the attractions, not the administrators.

"In football and in sport generally, the athletes and the players are the attractions, not the administrators," Elegbeleye said. He stressed that the focus should be on promoting the players and making the league known, with administrators working behind the scenes. Former Minister of Sports Sunday Dare commended the NPFL for embracing reforms and attracting investment, viewing the sponsorship as a positive sign of sports being treated as a business in Nigeria.

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First, I think the NPFL must be commended for embracing change and reforms. I know the last three-plus years have not been easy for them, but they have kept at it.