Sports

Naija Ratels FC Unveil New Home And Away Kits Ahead Of NWFL Championship Season

Published

6 years ago

March 30, 2021

Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL) Championship side, Naija Ratels FC have unveiled their new home and away kits ahead of the upcoming NWFL Championship Season.

The shirt which is once again manufactured for the second time by leading sportswear Company ‘Haggai’ sees the ‘Ratels’ traditional yellow and green colour revamped and refreshed.

The 2021 season will be the second consecutive season the team will take to the field in their yellow and green classic colour. In an age where all manner of flashes and piping are added to kits, it’s refreshing to see ‘Haggai’ take a straight approach to the home kit with the green colour shed to the arm and neck, while the away kits looks unique, with the green colour dominating.

The Abuja based side lastest away kits features a stylish V-neck, been inspired by a yellow mosaic pattern, placed on the sides of the green jersey with the look completed by green shorts and black blue socks.

The tracksuits and players outing wear also comes with a new form of touch. The tracksuits collaboration is a colourful range of lemon and black, while the team’s outwear was blended with various colours to make it awesome.

Naija Ratels sister’s club ‘Honey Badgers’ also revealed their home and away kits, manufactured by ‘Haggai’ as they prepare for the NWFL Nationwide season, which kick start on the 11th of April in Abuja. The Makurdi based side collection balances a classic home identity with an adventurous eye-catching away kit.

Their new home kit design stays loyal to tradition, taking inspiration from one of the major colours of Benue State, ‘Black and White’s. While the away kit remain simple and unique with it’s light green colour.

“We wanted to give Naija Ratels a design that only them can wear and not any other team around the globe,” Haggai Sporstwear C.E.O, Paul Maduakor.

“There is a great feeling surrounding the team and it has the potential of becoming one of the biggest clubs in the world. We have a good relationship with the team and it is absolutely normal to capture all that vibrancy and try some new things.” He Concluded.

Meanwhile, the President of the club, Barrister Paul Edeh said Naija Ratels and their sister’s club Honey Badgers have enjoyed a great relationship with Haggai Sporstwear since the club came to existence, describing the Sportswear outfit as one of the best in Africa.

“We chose Haggai to kit us for some obvious reasons. First, it is a Nigerian Brand which has remained true to its commitment to sports development by providing its unique brand to the General public. When I shared my vision with the Chairman of Haggai Sports, he understood exactly the kind of brand I wanted to build and he went all out to give us beyond what we expected. Again, Haggai brand has continued to support us since we started, hence it wasn’t difficult for us to sign the clothing deal with the Company.”

“One of the reasons we chose green as our colour in Naija Ratels is because it represents our vision of building a club that is everywhere. Green is everywhere. It’s the most common colour in the natural world, and it’s second only to blue as the most common favorite colour. It’s the colour we associate with money, the environment, and it’s the colour of revitalization and rebirth. More importantly, it is our National Colour in Nigeria.

“Meanwhile, the Yellow Colour symbolises the sun which brings light to the world, signifying happiness, youthfulness, hope and fearlessness in line with our vision to make these young ladies the light of the world and unlock their hidden potentials. As we climb the ladder of time, Naija Ratels will surely be the shining light in women football world over.”

Alongside the central design details, the 2021 shirts by ‘Haggai’ Sportswear have a truly unique feature, which includes the latest performance technologies which allow players to be more comfortable on the field of play. The new ‘Naija Ratels’ and ‘Honey Badgers’ jerseys are also made up of fabrics and special stitching which provide greater movement and comfort without sacrificing flexibility and resilience.

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Sports

Plateau Vipers, Benue Queens Crowned Champions at HFN North Central Division One Tourney

Published

18 hours ago

October 3, 2026

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

The President of the Handball Federation of Nigeria (HFN), Jibril Seidu, has said the federation will continue to intensify its grassroots talent development drive through zonal competitions across the country.

Seidu stated this on Saturday in Abuja at the finals of the 2026 North Central Division One Handball Championship, where Plateau Vipers defeated Suleja Shooters 29-24 to emerge champions in the men’s category.

In the women’s final, Benue Queens of Makurdi defeated City Queens of Suleja to claim the title.

The eight-day tournament featured teams from across the North Central Zone, with Plateau Vipers of Jos, Confluence Stars of Lokoja, Unity Boys of Abuja, Suleja Shooters and Nasarawa Ambassadors of Lafia competing in the men’s category.

In the women’s category, Nuela Handball Academy of Ilorin, Inikpi Babes of Idah, Benue Queens of Makurdi and City Queens of Suleja competed for honours.

At the end of the competition, four teams — two male and two female — emerged as the North Central Zone’s representatives for the national Division One league.

According to Seidu, the tournament was organised as part of the federation’s deliberate strategy to take handball development back to the regions and discover talents that might otherwise remain unnoticed.

He said the HFN board, inaugurated on October 25, 2025, resolved that grassroots development was essential to creating a sustainable pipeline of players for national and international competitions.

“All the teams you have seen here are from the North Central Zone of the country, and every state is represented with an academy or state team,” he said.

Seidu explained that the new approach marked a departure from the previous system, where talent identification was largely centred on the federation’s major league competitions.

He said taking competitions to the regions would provide young players with greater opportunities to showcase their abilities while strengthening the foundation of handball across the country.

The HFN president also linked the grassroots initiative to Nigeria’s recent achievements in international handball, stressing the need to develop younger players who can eventually replace members of the current national teams.

He noted that Nigeria had qualified for the 2027 Men’s Junior Handball World Championship in North Macedonia, describing the achievement as evidence of the potential within the country’s handball system.

“How do we replace these players with upcoming players? This is the avenue for us to get players,” he said.

Seidu added that the federation was determined to make handball more visible and accessible, describing it as one of Nigeria’s major sporting disciplines with significant potential for growth.

The North Central tournament is part of a wider zonal programme designed to decentralise handball development across Nigeria.

According to the federation, similar competitions are being organised across other zones, including the South East, North East, North West and South South, with qualifiers from each zone expected to converge at a designated venue for the next stage of the competition.

The federation also appealed for greater support from sponsors, stakeholders and state associations to sustain its grassroots development programme.

It expressed appreciation to the participating states, academies, team sponsors and other stakeholders for their support and commitment to the growth of handball in Nigeria.

The federation said the initiative would provide a platform for discovering the next generation of Nigerian handball stars while expanding the sport’s reach beyond its traditional centres.
While Speaking the elated coach of Benue Queen Godwin Tondo has promised a stronger and more tactical performance after guiding the team to victory at the 2026 North Central Division One Handball Championship in Abuja.
He attributed the success to the team’s long-term youth development programme, noting that the squad was built through a deliberate process of identifying and nurturing young talents.
According to him, the programme began with the selection of 92 girls from secondary schools, who were subsequently trained and developed over a four-year period.

He said the team’s success was a product of sustained hard work and commitment despite the challenges encountered during preparations for the tournament.

“I feel very pleased being a champion today. The road to this stage was very, very hard, but I am very happy that we have got the result from all the toughness of the game,” he said.

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