The 2023-24 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) will commence this Saturday, September 30 following an announcement by the league body on Monday.
The league was initially supposed to kick off August 26 only to be shifted to September 9 and was once again postponed due to issues around securing sponsorship.
Davidson Owumi, the Chief Operating Officer of the Nigeria Premier League (NPL) Limited, revealed in a letter to all 20 participating clubs that the league champion would receive a 50% prize money boost of ₦150 million. The clubs would also receive the payment of start-off grants worth ₦200 million.
“The 20 clubs will, as was done last season receive a take-off grant of Ten Million Naira (₦10,000,000) each to smoothen your operations as the season starts,” Owumi said in the letter.
“We are therefore expecting the clubs to, as a matter of urgency, forward their respective account details to the NPFL Secretariat for the transfer of the said amount as the season is set to commence on Saturday, September 30, 2023.
“After due deliberations by the chairman and our strategic partners, it was agreed that the prize money, since that is what connotes the true value of the league, be reviewed upwards to ₦150 million.”
He further added: “Be rest assured that we will at all times be guided by the very best interest of our league and by implication, the participating clubs.
“We remain very hopeful that they or other prospective partners will show up since talks are still ongoing. Any success achieved, will enlarge the economic frontiers of the league and by extension the clubs as we progress.”
Some of the big fixtures on matchday one will see newly-promoted Sporting Lagos host Gombe United. Another cracking game will be the South-South derby between Bayelsa United and Akwa United and the Northern derby between Katsina United and Kwara United.
The games of Bendel Insurance (against Enyimba) and Rivers United (against Remo Stars) have been respectively postponed due to their commitments in the CAF Confederation Cup where they take on RS Berkane and Etoile Filante in the second leg of the final qualification round this weekend.
Full NPFL Matchday One Fixtures
Bayelsa United Vs Akwa United
Shooting Stars Vs Plateau United
Abia Warriors Vs Niger Tornadoes
Enyimba Int’l Vs Bendel Insurance (postponed)
Rivers United Vs Remo Stars (postponed)
Katsina United Vs Kwara United
Sunshine Stars Vs Kano Pillars
Heartland Vs Lobi Stars
Sporting Lagos Vs Gombe United
Rangers United Vs Doma United
