The Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) is stepping up its push for major corporate backing before the 2026/27 campaign, with clubs being urged to modernise their digital operations, produce dependable data and sharpen their commercial identities.
Key takeaways
- The drive was highlighted during the closing day of the NPFL–Afrinvest Media and Marketing Workshop in Enugu.
- Media and marketing representatives from all 20 NPFL clubs received guidance on digital engagement and building sustainable football businesses.
- NPFL Chief Operating Officer Davidson Owunmi said poor, unverifiable data was holding back sponsorship deals worth millions of dollars.
- Rangers International’s sleeve agreement, valued at approximately ₦200 million, was presented as an example of the financial impact of effective marketing.
- Afrinvest said its partnership with Rangers had supported youth development, professionalism, national-team opportunities and two league championships in three years.
NPFL demands stronger digital foundations
The league’s renewed commercial drive formed the main focus of the workshop’s final day in Enugu. Club media officers and marketing chiefs were given practical instruction on using online platforms and commercial partnerships to create financially durable football organisations.
Owunmi said the NPFL wanted to reposition itself as a more appealing destination for investors. He stressed that trustworthy digital information was now essential for companies assessing potential sponsorships.
He explained that the programme was designed to provide club communications and marketing teams with contemporary methods for attracting credible partners, including Afrinvest, to support the league.
According to Owunmi, a stronger online profile and better commercial structures would make the competition more attractive to investors while opening additional routes to long-term expansion.
“We are sharing practical ideas on bringing firms such as Afrinvest into the development of the league,” Owunmi said. “Every club needs to build its online presence because that is the direction of the modern football economy.”
He called on clubs to operate useful websites featuring player information, statistics from matches, attendance records, schedules and other material of interest to potential investors. Owunmi offered ₦100,000 to any club that could immediately show a website recording more than 200,000 visits and containing full data from the previous season. No club succeeded in meeting the test.
The NPFL chief operating officer expressed concern that, although sponsorship negotiations involving millions of dollars were continuing, companies remained hesitant to sign agreements because the league could not provide complete and verifiable figures.
“We are discussing deals worth millions, yet sponsors ask for information that we are unable to supply in sufficient detail,” he said. “An empty website has no value. Once broadcasting is set aside, data is the next major revenue opportunity, and clubs must begin treating it as a priority.”
Owunmi also told clubs to move away from relying heavily on government allocations. He described well-run media and marketing departments as essential foundations for commercial progress.
“Repeating the same approach will not produce a different outcome,” he said. “A club with an inactive media department is effectively inactive, just as one without a functioning marketing department is. To reach younger supporters and attract significant investors, clubs must establish a serious digital presence.”
He pointed to Rangers International as proof that purposeful commercial work can transform a club’s finances, recalling that the Enugu side obtained a sleeve sponsorship worth roughly ₦200 million through sustained marketing efforts.
Afrinvest and Rangers outline partnership benefits
Emmanuel Eleojo, a manager at Afrinvest, said the company’s relationship with the NPFL was based on its “Finance Meets Football” concept. The approach promotes firm financial support as a foundation for lasting progress within the sport.
Eleojo said Afrinvest’s work with Rangers International had shown what corporate investment could achieve. He linked the partnership to stronger youth development, improved professional standards, opportunities for players to reach the national teams and two league titles won by the club over a three-year period.
“Nigerian football’s success is determined by more than results on the field; it also depends on the institutions that sustain the clubs,” Eleojo said. “When financial strength is connected with football, it produces development, more investment and achievement.”
Rangers general manager Amobi Ezeaku praised the NPFL leadership for introducing measures intended to improve the financial and commercial prospects of both the clubs and the competition.
He thanked Afrinvest for funding the workshop and encouraged club media officers and marketing directors to pursue new ideas. Ezeaku said their work would be central to finding fresh income sources for their teams.
“Our objective is a healthy football environment in which clubs are financially stronger,” he said. “Media officers and marketing directors should lead the search for revenue, while club brands and shirts need to gain visibility throughout the country.”
Those attending the workshop said the lessons gained could help clubs upgrade their digital channels, develop stronger relationships with supporters and prepare the NPFL for more sponsorship and commercial expansion before the 2026/27 season.
