GT has Returned - Let us support the NPFL

[General Trousers]

After a long sojourn to parts unknown I have returned. In late 2019 I had the pleasure of meeting once again Baba Fad, CMoke, and CMS. The venue was typical, a local Nigerian Buka in Los Angeles. Baba Fad was preparing for Anthony Bourdainian Trip into the heart of Tijuana and CMoke and CMS reassured him that if an Englishman in New York could sing a melody, then certainly an Englishman by way of Nigeria would find the renowned hospitality of the Mexicans to be a complete enjoyment. Eba was served and though no goat was on the menu that day, part of a cow was a sufficient offering. Guinness or Heineken lubricated the discussion ... It was good to see them.

... It was really good seeing them! If you have seen Mike Tyson lately, then you have to see the new lean mean Baba Fad. I will not say any more. CMoke was his usual self, telling us stories and you would feel you were there - Truly the man needs his own TV show. CMS aka Mr. Hospitality made the occasion happen.

If the event was a few months later, we would have also enjoyed the company of Mr. Dolly who had a film Premiering at the Pan African Film Festival. Mr. Dolly also a leaner version of himself, had a very nice film that had multiple showtimes at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza. It was good to see him, we spoke of his son Jay Ajayi and the success he has had in the NFL, the Nigerian Film Industry and of course soccer.

I say all of this to say it has been a while, and I have missed all of you. I am sad to read of the passing of Solowe. He like the late Gabtigab will be missed! I have followed Ikwerreman and AJGuru in the news media and their sports reporting ... good stuff from them.

I am returning to CE with humility (if you noticed I did not promote myself to Field Marshall), I also pledge to not stage any military coups, or force anyone displaying low soccer IQ to do frog jumps (there is a popular meme for soccer failures anyway).

As I switch to pidgen, I wan tok something oooh. We need to be more patriotic. I don tell una lie-lie that I cannot support any overseas team. While I do like some of them (Chelsea eh heh), my team nah Sharks of Port Harcourt. Sharks today, tomorrow and yesterday. My fellow Nigerians, this unbridled support of all things foreign, abeg it must stop ooh. EPL teams no dey come Naija. Let us support our local team and one way will be a feature where was can show a badge on our posts declaring our love for our local team. In the olden days, before all these Millenials dey walka and dey do Tik Tok, those of us who were brave used to sneak into the stadium to see IICC, NNB, Enugu Rangers and Stationary Stores. I dare say that despite the travails, there is even more talent in Nigeria now ... So what are some ways that we can support the NPFL? I would really like to see an African Champions League game in Lagos ... in fact I would fly from obodo Yankee to witness it.

I troway salute to CE.

<<

[Baii]

Oga GT
Welcome back. This place has changed quite a bit for those of us that has been here for a while.

[General Trousers]

Oga GT
Welcome back. This place has changed quite a bit for those of us that has been here for a while.

My brother I dey kampe. Good to hear from you. We should have a Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for this place. It would be good to have a Nigerian Fans Football Conference (with registration and everything) ...

<<

[1naija]

After a long sojourn to parts unknown I have returned. In late 2019 I had the pleasure of meeting once again Baba Fad, CMoke, and CMS. The venue was typical, a local Nigerian Buka in Los Angeles. Baba Fad was preparing for Anthony Bourdainian Trip into the heart of Tijuana and CMoke and CMS reassured him that if an Englishman in New York could sing a melody, then certainly an Englishman by way of Nigeria would find the renowned hospitality of the Mexicans to be a complete enjoyment. Eba was served and though no goat was on the menu that day, part of a cow was a sufficient offering. Guinness or Heineken lubricated the discussion ... It was good to see them.

... It was really good seeing them! If you have seen Mike Tyson lately, then you have to see the new lean mean Baba Fad. I will not say any more. CMoke was his usual self, telling us stories and you would feel you were there - Truly the man needs his own TV show. CMS aka Mr. Hospitality made the occasion happen.

If the event was a few months later, we would have also enjoyed the company of Mr. Dolly who had a film Premiering at the Pan African Film Festival. Mr. Dolly also a leaner version of himself, had a very nice film that had multiple showtimes at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza. It was good to see him, we spoke of his son Jay Ajayi and the success he has had in the NFL, the Nigerian Film Industry and of course soccer.

I say all of this to say it has been a while, and I have missed all of you. I am sad to read of the passing of Solowe. He like the late Gabtigab will be missed! I have followed Ikwerreman and AJGuru in the news media and their sports reporting ... good stuff from them.

I am returning to CE with humility (if you noticed I did not promote myself to Field Marshall), I also pledge to not stage any military coups, or force anyone displaying low soccer IQ to do frog jumps (there is a popular meme for soccer failures anyway).

As I switch to pidgen, I wan tok something oooh. We need to be more patriotic. I don tell una lie-lie that I cannot support any overseas team. While I do like some of them (Chelsea eh heh), my team nah Sharks of Port Harcourt. Sharks today, tomorrow and yesterday. My fellow Nigerians, this unbridled support of all things foreign, abeg it must stop ooh. EPL teams no dey come Naija. Let us support our local team and one way will be a feature where was can show a badge on our posts declaring our love for our local team. In the olden days, before all these Millenials dey walka and dey do Tik Tok, those of us who were brave used to sneak into the stadium to see IICC, NNB, Enugu Rangers and Stationary Stores. I dare say that despite the travails, there is even more talent in Nigeria now ... So what are some ways that we can support the NPFL? I would really like to see an African Champions League game in Lagos ... in fact I would fly from obodo Yankee to witness it.

I troway salute to CE.

<<

Uncle, so are you going to support Sharks this season? That sounds like this guy from I'm Gonna Git you Succka that was sent to jail when platform shoes were the shait, and came out of jail decades later thinking things were still the same.

[General Trousers]

After a long sojourn to parts unknown I have returned. In late 2019 I had the pleasure of meeting once again Baba Fad, CMoke, and CMS. The venue was typical, a local Nigerian Buka in Los Angeles. Baba Fad was preparing for Anthony Bourdainian Trip into the heart of Tijuana and CMoke and CMS reassured him that if an Englishman in New York could sing a melody, then certainly an Englishman by way of Nigeria would find the renowned hospitality of the Mexicans to be a complete enjoyment. Eba was served and though no goat was on the menu that day, part of a cow was a sufficient offering. Guinness or Heineken lubricated the discussion ... It was good to see them.

... It was really good seeing them! If you have seen Mike Tyson lately, then you have to see the new lean mean Baba Fad. I will not say any more. CMoke was his usual self, telling us stories and you would feel you were there - Truly the man needs his own TV show. CMS aka Mr. Hospitality made the occasion happen.

If the event was a few months later, we would have also enjoyed the company of Mr. Dolly who had a film Premiering at the Pan African Film Festival. Mr. Dolly also a leaner version of himself, had a very nice film that had multiple showtimes at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza. It was good to see him, we spoke of his son Jay Ajayi and the success he has had in the NFL, the Nigerian Film Industry and of course soccer.

I say all of this to say it has been a while, and I have missed all of you. I am sad to read of the passing of Solowe. He like the late Gabtigab will be missed! I have followed Ikwerreman and AJGuru in the news media and their sports reporting ... good stuff from them.

I am returning to CE with humility (if you noticed I did not promote myself to Field Marshall), I also pledge to not stage any military coups, or force anyone displaying low soccer IQ to do frog jumps (there is a popular meme for soccer failures anyway).

As I switch to pidgen, I wan tok something oooh. We need to be more patriotic. I don tell una lie-lie that I cannot support any overseas team. While I do like some of them (Chelsea eh heh), my team nah Sharks of Port Harcourt. Sharks today, tomorrow and yesterday. My fellow Nigerians, this unbridled support of all things foreign, abeg it must stop ooh. EPL teams no dey come Naija. Let us support our local team and one way will be a feature where was can show a badge on our posts declaring our love for our local team. In the olden days, before all these Millenials dey walka and dey do Tik Tok, those of us who were brave used to sneak into the stadium to see IICC, NNB, Enugu Rangers and Stationary Stores. I dare say that despite the travails, there is even more talent in Nigeria now ... So what are some ways that we can support the NPFL? I would really like to see an African Champions League game in Lagos ... in fact I would fly from obodo Yankee to witness it.

I troway salute to CE.

<<

Uncle, so are you going to support Sharks this season? That sounds like this guy from I'm Gonna Git you Succka that was sent to jail when platform shoes were the shait, and came out of jail decades later thinking things were still the same.

The fish swimming inside my shoe should tell you which team I support. There is no other team. Yes ... We may be a mid-tier team, but this is my team.

<<

[Dammy]

After a long sojourn to parts unknown I have returned. In late 2019 I had the pleasure of meeting once again Baba Fad, CMoke, and CMS. The venue was typical, a local Nigerian Buka in Los Angeles. Baba Fad was preparing for Anthony Bourdainian Trip into the heart of Tijuana and CMoke and CMS reassured him that if an Englishman in New York could sing a melody, then certainly an Englishman by way of Nigeria would find the renowned hospitality of the Mexicans to be a complete enjoyment. Eba was served and though no goat was on the menu that day, part of a cow was a sufficient offering. Guinness or Heineken lubricated the discussion ... It was good to see them.

... It was really good seeing them! If you have seen Mike Tyson lately, then you have to see the new lean mean Baba Fad. I will not say any more. CMoke was his usual self, telling us stories and you would feel you were there - Truly the man needs his own TV show. CMS aka Mr. Hospitality made the occasion happen.

If the event was a few months later, we would have also enjoyed the company of Mr. Dolly who had a film Premiering at the Pan African Film Festival. Mr. Dolly also a leaner version of himself, had a very nice film that had multiple showtimes at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza. It was good to see him, we spoke of his son Jay Ajayi and the success he has had in the NFL, the Nigerian Film Industry and of course soccer.

I say all of this to say it has been a while, and I have missed all of you. I am sad to read of the passing of Solowe. He like the late Gabtigab will be missed! I have followed Ikwerreman and AJGuru in the news media and their sports reporting ... good stuff from them.

I am returning to CE with humility (if you noticed I did not promote myself to Field Marshall), I also pledge to not stage any military coups, or force anyone displaying low soccer IQ to do frog jumps (there is a popular meme for soccer failures anyway).

As I switch to pidgen, I wan tok something oooh. We need to be more patriotic. I don tell una lie-lie that I cannot support any overseas team. While I do like some of them (Chelsea eh heh), my team nah Sharks of Port Harcourt. Sharks today, tomorrow and yesterday. My fellow Nigerians, this unbridled support of all things foreign, abeg it must stop ooh. EPL teams no dey come Naija. Let us support our local team and one way will be a feature where was can show a badge on our posts declaring our love for our local team. In the olden days, before all these Millenials dey walka and dey do Tik Tok, those of us who were brave used to sneak into the stadium to see IICC, NNB, Enugu Rangers and Stationary Stores. I dare say that despite the travails, there is even more talent in Nigeria now ... So what are some ways that we can support the NPFL? I would really like to see an African Champions League game in Lagos ... in fact I would fly from obodo Yankee to witness it.

I troway salute to CE.

<<

Welcome back my dear General Panties!

[shaq]

Is all these support by mouth/cyber only, or is there a method to this?
Real question by the way. How do you make the NPFL better/attractive. No theories o. Actionable items

BTW, welcome back GT

[Toxicarrow]

Hahaha my General, while you went away, your Sharks died naturally. If you have not heard, there is no Sharks of Port Harcourt again

[Damunk]

Is all these support by mouth/cyber only, or is there a method to this?
Real question by the way. How do you make the NPFL better/attractive. No theories o. Actionable items

BTW, welcome back GT

Everything is theory - until the money becomes available to make it actionable.

But for what its worth, they need to learn from Reality TV.
For starters, the NPFL needs personalities.
They have to identify and build up personalities. Anyone that can hold attention.
Players first and foremost, but not just the players.
Managers. Referees. Fans.
Big them up into larger than life figures.
The human drama beyond the game is just as important as the game itself. Its all part of the packaging.

And you don't really need much money to do it.

[Cellular]

After a long sojourn to parts unknown I have returned. In late 2019 I had the pleasure of meeting once again Baba Fad, CMoke, and CMS. The venue was typical, a local Nigerian Buka in Los Angeles. Baba Fad was preparing for Anthony Bourdainian Trip into the heart of Tijuana and CMoke and CMS reassured him that if an Englishman in New York could sing a melody, then certainly an Englishman by way of Nigeria would find the renowned hospitality of the Mexicans to be a complete enjoyment. Eba was served and though no goat was on the menu that day, part of a cow was a sufficient offering. Guinness or Heineken lubricated the discussion ... It was good to see them.

... It was really good seeing them! If you have seen Mike Tyson lately, then you have to see the new lean mean Baba Fad. I will not say any more. CMoke was his usual self, telling us stories and you would feel you were there - Truly the man needs his own TV show. CMS aka Mr. Hospitality made the occasion happen.

If the event was a few months later, we would have also enjoyed the company of Mr. Dolly who had a film Premiering at the Pan African Film Festival. Mr. Dolly also a leaner version of himself, had a very nice film that had multiple showtimes at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza. It was good to see him, we spoke of his son Jay Ajayi and the success he has had in the NFL, the Nigerian Film Industry and of course soccer.

I say all of this to say it has been a while, and I have missed all of you. I am sad to read of the passing of Solowe. He like the late Gabtigab will be missed! I have followed Ikwerreman and AJGuru in the news media and their sports reporting ... good stuff from them.

I am returning to CE with humility (if you noticed I did not promote myself to Field Marshall), I also pledge to not stage any military coups, or force anyone displaying low soccer IQ to do frog jumps (there is a popular meme for soccer failures anyway).

As I switch to pidgen, I wan tok something oooh. We need to be more patriotic. I don tell una lie-lie that I cannot support any overseas team. While I do like some of them (Chelsea eh heh), my team nah Sharks of Port Harcourt. Sharks today, tomorrow and yesterday. My fellow Nigerians, this unbridled support of all things foreign, abeg it must stop ooh. EPL teams no dey come Naija. Let us support our local team and one way will be a feature where was can show a badge on our posts declaring our love for our local team. In the olden days, before all these Millenials dey walka and dey do Tik Tok, those of us who were brave used to sneak into the stadium to see IICC, NNB, Enugu Rangers and Stationary Stores. I dare say that despite the travails, there is even more talent in Nigeria now ... So what are some ways that we can support the NPFL? I would really like to see an African Champions League game in Lagos ... in fact I would fly from obodo Yankee to witness it.

I troway salute to CE.

<<

Mon General, welcome back.

You know there's no such thing as a retired military man. Just that you are no longer on active duty.

Anyway, the Naija of your youth is no more. The Naija of high-quality players that can move straight from the local league to the overseas teams is no longer there.

Like all things in Naijaria, the decay is deep. Just like folks will finish undergrad in Naija and venture overseas for their masters to be taken seriously, so it is with our footballers. The Naijarian officials have opened the market to the EPL especially to the point Political Appointees and Public Servants shamelessly promote and root for foreign teams.

Our league is not doing a good enough job marketing themselves either. If I were running the league or advising them in any capacity, I will tell them to invest in MARKETING. Too many things vying for the scarce Naira. Useless programming like BBNaija is making a killing with fans as die-hard as football fans. Some will even fight you if you dare talk bad about their favourite housemates.

The league should think about contracting (getting smaller)... and have a truly professional league. They should think about how to make it attractive for the fans and to attract some of the foreign pros who are out of contract. They should even think about having their own football channel (they can have it online). I had proposed something before that I think they should try to adopt. They should schedule Secondary School games before league games... have a secondary school league. Zoned of course to reduce travel. Have some matches scheduled before home games. They should make gate (ticketing) free for anyone with a secondary school ID. They should hold competitions for student fans (secondary/Uni) who want to cover and write stories for their local teams. They should market individual players as marquee most watch players.

[Cellular]

Is all these support by mouth/cyber only, or is there a method to this?
Real question by the way. How do you make the NPFL better/attractive. No theories o. Actionable items

BTW, welcome back GT

Everything is theory - until the money becomes available to make it actionable.

But for what its worth, they need to learn from Reality TV.
For starters, the NPFL needs personalities.
They have to identify and build up personalities. Anyone that can hold attention.
Players first and foremost, but not just the players.
Managers. Referees. Fans.
Big them up into larger than life figures.
The human drama beyond the game is just as important as the game itself. Its all part of the packaging.

And you don't really need much money to do it.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) faced the same issue, how to market the league. They went with marketing players and one on one matchups as opposed to marketing the League. They commissioned Case Studies in various Business Schools and went with ideas that made sense.

The NPLF visibility amongst Naijarians is low. Most don't know the players or even the teams.

They can start there.

I also wonder why they haven't attempted doing a reality TV show around the league. Or a documentary of some sort.
Also their presence on social media could be greatly improved upon.

[truetalk]

Is all these support by mouth/cyber only, or is there a method to this?
Real question by the way. How do you make the NPFL better/attractive. No theories o. Actionable items

BTW, welcome back GT

Everything is theory - until the money becomes available to make it actionable.

But for what its worth, they need to learn from Reality TV.
For starters, the NPFL needs personalities.
They have to identify and build up personalities. Anyone that can hold attention.
Players first and foremost, but not just the players.
Managers. Referees. Fans.
Big them up into larger than life figures.
The human drama beyond the game is just as important as the game itself. Its all part of the packaging.

And you don't really need much money to do it.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) faced the same issue, how to market the league. They went with marketing players and one on one matchups as opposed to marketing the League. They commissioned Case Studies in various Business Schools and went with ideas that made sense.

The NPLF visibility amongst Naijarians is low. Most don't know the players or even the teams.

They can start there.

I also wonder why they haven't attempted doing a reality TV show around the league. Or a documentary of some sort.
Also their presence on social media could be greatly improved upon.

The 'owners/managers' of most of the teams do not care about promoting them because it is an opportunity to steal and nothing more.

They care about the Government allocation and stealing as much as possible today. The Governor can remove them at anytime anyway (although a lot of them are goons and relations, so they can do what they like). Akin Alabi tried to buy Shooting Stars, but the powers that be did not want to let their cash cow go.

It goes deeper than that though, the NFF, & NPFL are more or less Government Parastatals. Pinnick has made some very tiny steps with the Aieto for the National team sponsorship, but but all of them (Pinnick, Dikko, Ikpeme) are all there based on Government nominations and connections.

The structure of sports must change, so that the Government (at all levels) becomes just a participant, & not the owner and major player. Tax & other incentives must be given to individuals and corporations to become members of State and National sports Federations. Even if we don't operate the Franchise models of the NBA & NFL (& we should not), we should start from having true sports Federations like the USTA and USA Basketball. https://www.usab.com/about/about-usa-ba ... ution.aspx

Chairman, one of the things I hope to talk to you & all the other Ogas about is the options going forward for CE. Let CE start acting like a member of the 'reformed NFF' (by faith). Let us start fan shows discussing and analysing games 'after the fact' (apologies to TXJ), like the fan review shows. Let us start getting tickets to competitions, or at least have access to the tickets if needed. Many people have been here for 20 plus years for no other reason than their love for the SE, & Nigerian sports.

When the structure changes, then an Independent NFF can pass a statute that no Government entity can hold more than 25% shares of Clubs in the top 2 tiers of Nigerian professional football. Government can own amateur clubs for development purposes, but the allure of big money that is not accounted for, will be gone.

Tough to happen with the current structure.

[truetalk]

After a long sojourn to parts unknown I have returned. In late 2019 I had the pleasure of meeting once again Baba Fad, CMoke, and CMS. The venue was typical, a local Nigerian Buka in Los Angeles. Baba Fad was preparing for Anthony Bourdainian Trip into the heart of Tijuana and CMoke and CMS reassured him that if an Englishman in New York could sing a melody, then certainly an Englishman by way of Nigeria would find the renowned hospitality of the Mexicans to be a complete enjoyment. Eba was served and though no goat was on the menu that day, part of a cow was a sufficient offering. Guinness or Heineken lubricated the discussion ... It was good to see them.

... It was really good seeing them! If you have seen Mike Tyson lately, then you have to see the new lean mean Baba Fad. I will not say any more. CMoke was his usual self, telling us stories and you would feel you were there - Truly the man needs his own TV show. CMS aka Mr. Hospitality made the occasion happen.

If the event was a few months later, we would have also enjoyed the company of Mr. Dolly who had a film Premiering at the Pan African Film Festival. Mr. Dolly also a leaner version of himself, had a very nice film that had multiple showtimes at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza. It was good to see him, we spoke of his son Jay Ajayi and the success he has had in the NFL, the Nigerian Film Industry and of course soccer.

I say all of this to say it has been a while, and I have missed all of you. I am sad to read of the passing of Solowe. He like the late Gabtigab will be missed! I have followed Ikwerreman and AJGuru in the news media and their sports reporting ... good stuff from them.

I am returning to CE with humility (if you noticed I did not promote myself to Field Marshall), I also pledge to not stage any military coups, or force anyone displaying low soccer IQ to do frog jumps (there is a popular meme for soccer failures anyway).

As I switch to pidgen, I wan tok something oooh. We need to be more patriotic. I don tell una lie-lie that I cannot support any overseas team. While I do like some of them (Chelsea eh heh), my team nah Sharks of Port Harcourt. Sharks today, tomorrow and yesterday. My fellow Nigerians, this unbridled support of all things foreign, abeg it must stop ooh. EPL teams no dey come Naija. Let us support our local team and one way will be a feature where was can show a badge on our posts declaring our love for our local team. In the olden days, before all these Millenials dey walka and dey do Tik Tok, those of us who were brave used to sneak into the stadium to see IICC, NNB, Enugu Rangers and Stationary Stores. I dare say that despite the travails, there is even more talent in Nigeria now ... So what are some ways that we can support the NPFL? I would really like to see an African Champions League game in Lagos ... in fact I would fly from obodo Yankee to witness it.

I troway salute to CE.

<<

Uncle, so are you going to support Sharks this season? That sounds like this guy from I'm Gonna Git you Succka that was sent to jail when platform shoes were the shait, and came out of jail decades later thinking things were still the same.

You'd be surprised that this dude will pull a lot more babes than a taxi driver for instance. Maybe for the novelty feel, you just never know with women.

[truetalk]

After a long sojourn to parts unknown I have returned. In late 2019 I had the pleasure of meeting once again Baba Fad, CMoke, and CMS. The venue was typical, a local Nigerian Buka in Los Angeles. Baba Fad was preparing for Anthony Bourdainian Trip into the heart of Tijuana and CMoke and CMS reassured him that if an Englishman in New York could sing a melody, then certainly an Englishman by way of Nigeria would find the renowned hospitality of the Mexicans to be a complete enjoyment. Eba was served and though no goat was on the menu that day, part of a cow was a sufficient offering. Guinness or Heineken lubricated the discussion ... It was good to see them.

... It was really good seeing them! If you have seen Mike Tyson lately, then you have to see the new lean mean Baba Fad. I will not say any more. CMoke was his usual self, telling us stories and you would feel you were there - Truly the man needs his own TV show. CMS aka Mr. Hospitality made the occasion happen.

If the event was a few months later, we would have also enjoyed the company of Mr. Dolly who had a film Premiering at the Pan African Film Festival. Mr. Dolly also a leaner version of himself, had a very nice film that had multiple showtimes at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza. It was good to see him, we spoke of his son Jay Ajayi and the success he has had in the NFL, the Nigerian Film Industry and of course soccer.

I say all of this to say it has been a while, and I have missed all of you. I am sad to read of the passing of Solowe. He like the late Gabtigab will be missed! I have followed Ikwerreman and AJGuru in the news media and their sports reporting ... good stuff from them.

I am returning to CE with humility (if you noticed I did not promote myself to Field Marshall), I also pledge to not stage any military coups, or force anyone displaying low soccer IQ to do frog jumps (there is a popular meme for soccer failures anyway).

As I switch to pidgen, I wan tok something oooh. We need to be more patriotic. I don tell una lie-lie that I cannot support any overseas team. While I do like some of them (Chelsea eh heh), my team nah Sharks of Port Harcourt. Sharks today, tomorrow and yesterday. My fellow Nigerians, this unbridled support of all things foreign, abeg it must stop ooh. EPL teams no dey come Naija. Let us support our local team and one way will be a feature where was can show a badge on our posts declaring our love for our local team. In the olden days, before all these Millenials dey walka and dey do Tik Tok, those of us who were brave used to sneak into the stadium to see IICC, NNB, Enugu Rangers and Stationary Stores. I dare say that despite the travails, there is even more talent in Nigeria now ... So what are some ways that we can support the NPFL? I would really like to see an African Champions League game in Lagos ... in fact I would fly from obodo Yankee to witness it.

I troway salute to CE.

<<

Welcome back, Senior Officer Bellbottoms.

I fully agree with you. I was totally disgusted when I got back to Nigeria & there was this madness of 'We are Chelsea', We are Barca, We are Arsenal everywhere. I had supported AC Milan, since I was about 8, but made the decision not to support any foreign team based on the madness I saw in Nigeria. I follow the SE passionately, monitor Nigerian players & watch other games for fun.

I won't even get into the economic aspect of it as DSTV/Naspiers is reported to pay at least $20 million for the Nigerian rights to the EPL per year. Talk about capital flight; and it is profitable as hundreds of young men pay money to crowd viewing centres and watch 'their' team and ensure DSTV's investments pay off handsomely.

If the individuals running the country and making the laws acted like their skulls were not numb, there are ways you can leverage on this EPL craze (creative & almost unfelt taxing) & fund the development of local sports infrastructure, including getting all NPFL games on TV. I've written about that before & maybe I will write a position paper on this again.

The games need to be live on TV to get in the minds of people.

At the very least, the games need to be recorded. This is on Pinnick 100%. It will cost almost nothing to record the games & post on Youtube. You don't need sponsors or TV rights to do that. Heck, a couple of us on this site can do this for free.

Enough talking from me. This year, Godwilling & helping, I want to get into youth sports development. It will be sports and education though & I will stay away from football. Maybe, a media element (sports broadcasting) will be added. I'm tired of our people making the most basic things look like rocket science because they want to make sure they can chop mightily without investing anything.

[shaq]

Well, well. I am reading some encouraging stuff here.

There is no doubt that we have the resource/talent to make not just the league/sports better, but naija as a whole.
After all naijas are excelling in every field of endeavor abroad.

Praying for more inspiration, and boldness for greater actions. You gotta start somewhere regardless of the expected resistance

And more power to you truetalk

Up naija

[General Trousers]

Thank you for the kind words. I must reiterate - It was good seeing my Naija brothers, and it was good seeing our guy Mr. Dolly promoting his Nigerian-Made film. He has inspired me that we can do the same in football.

<<

[Cellular]

Is all these support by mouth/cyber only, or is there a method to this?
Real question by the way. How do you make the NPFL better/attractive. No theories o. Actionable items

BTW, welcome back GT

Everything is theory - until the money becomes available to make it actionable.

But for what its worth, they need to learn from Reality TV.
For starters, the NPFL needs personalities.
They have to identify and build up personalities. Anyone that can hold attention.
Players first and foremost, but not just the players.
Managers. Referees. Fans.
Big them up into larger than life figures.
The human drama beyond the game is just as important as the game itself. Its all part of the packaging.

And you don't really need much money to do it.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) faced the same issue, how to market the league. They went with marketing players and one on one matchups as opposed to marketing the League. They commissioned Case Studies in various Business Schools and went with ideas that made sense.

The NPLF visibility amongst Naijarians is low. Most don't know the players or even the teams.

They can start there.

I also wonder why they haven't attempted doing a reality TV show around the league. Or a documentary of some sort.
Also their presence on social media could be greatly improved upon.

The 'owners/managers' of most of the teams do not care about promoting them because it is an opportunity to steal and nothing more.

They care about the Government allocation and stealing as much as possible today. The Governor can remove them at anytime anyway (although a lot of them are goons and relations, so they can do what they like). Akin Alabi tried to buy Shooting Stars, but the powers that be did not want to let their cash cow go.

It goes deeper than that though, the NFF, & NPFL are more or less Government Parastatals. Pinnick has made some very tiny steps with the Aieto for the National team sponsorship, but but all of them (Pinnick, Dikko, Ikpeme) are all there based on Government nominations and connections.

The structure of sports must change, so that the Government (at all levels) becomes just a participant, & not the owner and major player. Tax & other incentives must be given to individuals and corporations to become members of State and National sports Federations. Even if we don't operate the Franchise models of the NBA & NFL (& we should not), we should start from having true sports Federations like the USTA and USA Basketball. https://www.usab.com/about/about-usa-ba ... ution.aspx

Chairman, one of the things I hope to talk to you & all the other Ogas about is the options going forward for CE. Let CE start acting like a member of the 'reformed NFF' (by faith). Let us start fan shows discussing and analysing games 'after the fact' (apologies to TXJ), like the fan review shows. Let us start getting tickets to competitions, or at least have access to the tickets if needed. Many people have been here for 20 plus years for no other reason than their love for the SE, & Nigerian sports.

When the structure changes, then an Independent NFF can pass a statute that no Government entity can hold more than 25% shares of Clubs in the top 2 tiers of Nigerian professional football. Government can own amateur clubs for development purposes, but the allure of big money that is not accounted for, will be gone.

Tough to happen with the current structure.

When the Covid lockdown ends we fit meet up and discuss.

[carbon]

Welcome back GT

[Bell]

After a long sojourn to parts unknown I have returned. In late 2019 I had the pleasure of meeting once again Baba Fad, CMoke, and CMS. The venue was typical, a local Nigerian Buka in Los Angeles. Baba Fad was preparing for Anthony Bourdainian Trip into the heart of Tijuana and CMoke and CMS reassured him that if an Englishman in New York could sing a melody, then certainly an Englishman by way of Nigeria would find the renowned hospitality of the Mexicans to be a complete enjoyment. Eba was served and though no goat was on the menu that day, part of a cow was a sufficient offering. Guinness or Heineken lubricated the discussion ... It was good to see them.

... It was really good seeing them! If you have seen Mike Tyson lately, then you have to see the new lean mean Baba Fad. I will not say any more. CMoke was his usual self, telling us stories and you would feel you were there - Truly the man needs his own TV show. CMS aka Mr. Hospitality made the occasion happen.

If the event was a few months later, we would have also enjoyed the company of Mr. Dolly who had a film Premiering at the Pan African Film Festival. Mr. Dolly also a leaner version of himself, had a very nice film that had multiple showtimes at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza. It was good to see him, we spoke of his son Jay Ajayi and the success he has had in the NFL, the Nigerian Film Industry and of course soccer.

I say all of this to say it has been a while, and I have missed all of you. I am sad to read of the passing of Solowe. He like the late Gabtigab will be missed! I have followed Ikwerreman and AJGuru in the news media and their sports reporting ... good stuff from them.

I am returning to CE with humility (if you noticed I did not promote myself to Field Marshall), I also pledge to not stage any military coups, or force anyone displaying low soccer IQ to do frog jumps (there is a popular meme for soccer failures anyway).

As I switch to pidgen, I wan tok something oooh. We need to be more patriotic. I don tell una lie-lie that I cannot support any overseas team. While I do like some of them (Chelsea eh heh), my team nah Sharks of Port Harcourt. Sharks today, tomorrow and yesterday. My fellow Nigerians, this unbridled support of all things foreign, abeg it must stop ooh. EPL teams no dey come Naija. Let us support our local team and one way will be a feature where was can show a badge on our posts declaring our love for our local team. In the olden days, before all these Millenials dey walka and dey do Tik Tok, those of us who were brave used to sneak into the stadium to see IICC, NNB, Enugu Rangers and Stationary Stores. I dare say that despite the travails, there is even more talent in Nigeria now ... So what are some ways that we can support the NPFL? I would really like to see an African Champions League game in Lagos ... in fact I would fly from obodo Yankee to witness it.

I troway salute to CE.

<<

Mon General, welcome back.

You know there's no such thing as a retired military man. Just that you are no longer on active duty.

Anyway, the Naija of your youth is no more. The Naija of high-quality players that can move straight from the local league to the overseas teams is no longer there.

Like all things in Naijaria, the decay is deep. Just like folks will finish undergrad in Naija and venture overseas for their masters to be taken seriously, so it is with our footballers. The Naijarian officials have opened the market to the EPL especially to the point Political Appointees and Public Servants shamelessly promote and root for foreign teams.

Our league is not doing a good enough job marketing themselves either. If I were running the league or advising them in any capacity, I will tell them to invest in MARKETING. Too many things vying for the scarce Naira. Useless programming like BBNaija is making a killing with fans as die-hard as football fans. Some will even fight you if you dare talk bad about their favourite housemates.

The league should think about contracting (getting smaller)... and have a truly professional league. They should think about how to make it attractive for the fans and to attract some of the foreign pros who are out of contract. They should even think about having their own football channel (they can have it online). I had proposed something before that I think they should try to adopt. They should schedule Secondary School games before league games... have a secondary school league. Zoned of course to reduce travel. Have some matches scheduled before home games. They should make gate (ticketing) free for anyone with a secondary school ID. They should hold competitions for student fans (secondary/Uni) who want to cover and write stories for their local teams. They should market individual players as marquee most watch players.

TO SUCCEED, THE NIG LEAGUE NEEDS MAJOR OVERHAUL


For it to become a serious league, the foreign legion must stay in Nigeria. To stay in Nigeria, the league must be able to pay them a high %age of what they make in Europe. For that to happen, the league needs to start generating money. To generate money, the followings need to be done:

1) Limit the league to 12-16 teams in viable locations to achieve high talent level; no more one-per-state nonsense
2) All clubs privately-owned; no govt involvement.
3) No relegation/promotion
4) Elevate the quality of mgmt to those in advanced countries (W. Europe, USA) - scheduling, resolving disputes, etc
5) Introduce marketing of merchandise and league, drinks, food, etc, things that are right at zero today. Market to families, women and other groups
6) Subscription television
7) Legally-binding contracts among owners, and between owners and players
8) Attractive, functional, safe, clean stadiums, even if not gaudy.
9) Arrange match day transportation for fans
10) Etc

In many respects, these are similar to the W. African regional league idea of which I'm currently the lone proponent but I think the regional approach is novel and has a better chance of success.
Bell

[Damunk]

Wow.
Some great insights here.

[Striker]

General, with all attention and hands by my side with chest upward, I throw way salute. Nice to have you back.

[General Trousers]

General, with all attention and hands by my side with chest upward, I throw way salute. Nice to have you back.

Thank you!