Football fans and select Sports Journalists were treated to an evening of Football and fun during the ‘Show Your Other Side Challenge’ over the weekend.
The event which was held at the Elegbata Sports Complex in Lagos on Sunday, May 16th, had dignitaries such as the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President Amaju Pinnick, General Consul Spanish Consulate, Juan Antonio Moreda Otero, ex Nigerian midfielder and LaLiga Ambassador, Mutiu Adepoju in attendance.
Welcoming guests to the event, the NWFL Chairperson, Aisha Falode, emphasized that the event represents how the League is trying to engage with the fans: “Football belongs to the fans and it’s important to create opportunities and platforms to engage and interact with them beyond matchdays. This here is the NWFL working at building the blocks of confidence of the Nigeria Football lovers to buy into our vision evolving into a global league brand eventually”, she said.
“We will not get there at once; it has taken so much to get to where we are today, and it will take so much more to arrive at our destination, that’s why it’s important to get the co-operation and collaboration of major stakeholders such as the fans. One of such collaborations is responsible for this event, and with many more purposeful relationships like we have with LaLiga, we’ll go further towards our goal”, Falode added.
The General Consul, Spanish Consulate, Juan Antonio Moreda Otero, emphasized that the event represents the shared love of Football by Spaniards and Nigerians. He added: “Football is about pushing your limits, and women can excel in it as much as men. This is why we are happy to be a part of this collaboration with the NWFL and LaLiga to help promote women Football here in Nigeria”.
Also speaking at the event, the LaLiga Global Network Delegate for Nigeria and Ghana, Desmond Chiji expressed his optimism about the partnerships between LaLiga and the NWFL: “Nigeria is a very important country to LaLiga, and we are passionate about the development of women football in this country, which is why we are collaborating the NWFL to help the League grow and reach its full potential”, he said.
The event included skills challenge and an all-star match by players drawn from the sixteen NWFL Clubs.
