The Nigeria Premier Football League has challenged its 20 clubs to overhaul their digital operations and build commercially viable structures, warning that Nigerian football risks losing sponsorship opportunities without credible data and stronger media presence.
NPFL Chief Operating Officer Davidson Owumi issued the challenge on the final day of the NPFL-Afrinvest Media and Marketing Workshop in Enugu, where club media officers and marketing heads met to discuss branding, sponsorship and data generation ahead of the 2026/27 season.
‘One of the reasons we’re here is to share knowledge on how to attract companies like Afrinvest to partner with us in developing the league,’ Owumi said.
Owumi offered a ?100,000 reward to any club that could produce a functional website with at least 200,000 hits and comprehensive statistics from the season just concluded.
‘We have millions of dollars’ worth of contracts under discussion, but when sponsors ask for our data, we have little or nothing to present,’ Owumi said. ‘A website without content is useless. A dead media department is a dead club, and a dead marketing unit is a dead club.’
He said clubs must reduce reliance on government subventions and instead generate revenue through digital platforms, fan engagement and commercial partnerships. Citing his own tenure at Rangers International, Owumi said strategic marketing partnerships had helped the club secure a ?200 million sleeve sponsorship deal and accumulate more than $270,000 in funds before his departure.
Afrinvest Manager Emmanuel Eleojo said the firm’s ‘Finance Meets Football’ initiative would continue backing the league’s commercial development, pointing to Afrinvest’s partnership with Rangers since 2023 as a model. He said that partnership had supported youth development, a stronger academy system, national team call-ups for Rangers players and two league titles within three years.
‘The success of Nigerian football is not only about what happens on the pitch, but also the strength of the institutions behind the clubs,’ Eleojo said.
Rangers International General Manager Amobi Ezeaku commended the NPFL for the initiative and urged club officials to treat marketing and media departments as central to revenue generation. ‘We want to see our clubs’ jerseys all over the country,’ Ezeaku said. ‘Our media officers and marketing directors must become the backbone of revenue generation.’