NPFL U-17 All Stars set for Spain Tour

Posted : 22 July 2024

As the new Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) season kicks off on August 31, all twenty clubs in the elite division will be focused on the ₦200 million prize for the 2024/2025 champions, as announced by NPFL Chairman Gbenga Elegbeleye during the Club Owners Annual General Meeting in Abuja.

However, increasing the prize money is not the only improvement or innovation on the mind of the football league body.

In a recent meeting with the Spanish Ambassador to Nigeria, His Excellency Juan Ignacio Sell, NPFL chief Elegbeleye expressed his readiness to partner with top youth clubs in Spain for the exposure and development of budding soccer talents from Nigeria.

Elegbeleye emphasized that the future of Nigerian football lies in its youth, and he intends to take decisive action.

"It is well-known that Spain has the best youth development programs in Europe. The likes of Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, and others came through Spanish football academies.

Another shining example is the current world sensation, Lamine Yamal. Additionally, with the recent success of their national team in the 2024 European Championship and Real Madrid's triumph in the UEFA Champions League last season, Spain is clearly ahead of the curve.

This will significantly demonstrate our passion and the NPFL's interest in the proposed partnership.

"On Monday, I hope to be in Madrid, the Spanish capital, to discuss how to integrate outstanding youths from Nigeria's top league. Following that, I will visit Seville—one of the best places in Europe for youth programs—for the same purpose.

"The overall plan is to expand opportunities for these NPFL players to receive better training under different technical officials and to give them the chance to experience global standards, as European leagues are interested in young talents."

The 2nd Vice President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) also considered the future financial benefits for the players and their respective clubs.

"The long-term intention is to grow the financial base of the various NPFL clubs. For instance, if a player can attract a transfer market value of about €500,000, that translates to approximately ₦800 million.

A serious club administrator can use such money to support two league seasons successfully.

"We will always publicize any player who secures a professional contract so that the governments, which own the clubs, will be informed. Imagine a club producing two such players every other year; it would no longer require government financial support. In fact, clubs should generate revenue for the government, rather than relying on the current absurd narrative."

Gbenga Elegbeleye stated that upon the completion of his tour, the youth players would travel to Spain for test matches.

NPFL U-17 All Stars set for Spain Tour

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