NPFL Is Back : A Season of Promise, But A Future Demanding Reform
NPFL Is Back : A Season of Promise, But A Future Demanding Reform
By Ibrahim Jatto
The 2025/2026 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) season kicks off this Friday in Abeokuta, with champions Remo Stars squaring off against last season’s runners-up, Rivers United. While fans eagerly anticipate the return of local rivalries and thrilling football, the season begins under the weight of familiar challenges that continue to stifle the growth of our domestic league.
For decades, the NPFL has held the promise of being one of Africa’s finest football competitions. Yet, as the new campaign begins, the question lingers: What real value are we creating for Nigerian football?
Top leagues worldwide thrive because of the value they create—not just in competition, but in the total football experience. In Nigeria, matchdays are often reduced to the game alone, with little investment in fan culture, stadium entertainment, or branding that keeps supporters coming back. The English Premier League (EPL), for instance, generated over £6.5 billion in revenue last season, a large part of which comes from fan loyalty, matchday merchandise, and branding that resonates beyond the pitch.
Here at home, gate takings remain underreported, merchandise sales are almost non-existent, and clubs fail to build lasting emotional connections with fans. Until our clubs and the NPFL leadership begin to prioritize value creation, the league will remain unattractive both locally and abroad.
A glaring weakness of the NPFL is its poor publicity. Matches are rarely marketed with the consistency or creativity that modern football demands. Compare this with European leagues, where clubs and broadcasters churn out compelling promotional content, social media activations, and behind-the-scenes storytelling that keep fans hooked.
For Nigeria, where over 60% of the population is below 25, the league should be a prime cultural product. Instead, our youth can name hundreds of European stars but struggle to identify one or two players from their local league. This invisibility is damaging the brand of Nigerian football.
The recent outing of the home-based Super Eagles at the African Nations Championship (CHAN) tells a sobering story. A scandalous defeat to Sudan underscored the poor technical and tactical standards of our league. When a domestic-based national team cannot compete with counterparts from countries with smaller football structures, it exposes the quality gap in our domestic league.
This is not just a reflection of coaching, but also of the environment players operate in. Poor facilities, lack of investment in youth academies, and inconsistent match officiating all combine to erode the quality of football on display.
Another major sticking point is the welfare of players. Reports show that some NPFL clubs pay as little as ₦150,000 monthly—a figure that, when translated, falls below $100 USD. In a world where footballers are athletes first and entertainers second, inadequate pay inevitably leads to low morale and poor performances.
How can Nigerian footballers compete with their African peers when they struggle with basic financial security? South African PSL players, for example, earn an average of R100,000 monthly (about ₦7.5 million), enabling them to focus solely on football. Until Nigeria addresses the salary structure of its league, the gap will only widen.
Television remains the single biggest driver of revenue and stardom in football. The EPL, La Liga, and Bundesliga thrive on billion-dollar TV deals that beam their matches into homes across the world. In Nigeria, broadcast agreements are often inconsistent, poorly negotiated, or nonexistent.
The result? Nigerian footballers remain invisible. An average child in Kano or Enugu can reel off the entire Manchester City squad but will struggle to name the captain of his local club. Without strong broadcast partnerships, the NPFL will never produce household names or become commercially viable.
Sustainable leagues do not depend solely on government subventions or wealthy patrons. Clubs must professionalize revenue generation through structured gate takings, branded merchandise, and transparent player transfers.
Last season, Real Madrid reportedly earned over €120 million from merchandise sales alone, while Manchester United generated over £140 million from matchday revenues. These figures highlight what is possible when clubs are run as businesses, not just sporting entities.
Nigeria’s clubs must take player transfers more seriously, ensuring that contracts are transparent, sell-on clauses are negotiated, and clubs benefit from the global mobility of their players. Currently, many transfers are poorly managed, with agents and intermediaries reaping more than the parent clubs.
The NPFL is not short on talent, passion, or potential. What it lacks is structure, vision, and commitment to global best practices. Improving marketing strategies, ensuring better pay for players, broadcasting games consistently, and professionalizing revenue channels will not just strengthen the league but also restore national pride in Nigerian football.
As the 2025/2026 season begins in Abeokuta, fans will cheer for Remo Stars, Rivers United, Enyimba, and others. But beneath the excitement lies a deeper challenge: transforming Nigerian football into a league that inspires, competes, and thrives on the global stage. The NPFL has another chance—this time, the stakeholders must seize it.
