Sports

Startimes And NPFL New Grand Breaking 1.6bn Broadcast Deal

Published

3 years ago

November 6, 2023

By Obasi Michael

A Proof of Gusua Continuois Quite Administrative Feat

NFF President Ibrahim Gusau has never been a man of plenty words , even from his time as board member of the Nigeria Football Federation, but has always love his work to speak for him.

His leadership style and prowess is exemplary and very unique compare to what we see from other administrators these days.

The way he has handled some of the issues in the corridors of Nigeria football since his election last year is simply the reason why there is relative peace and enabling environment in the Country’s football as compare to previous administration.

Amongst many others, one issue that would have naturally heat up the football ecosystem is the drama surrounding the Nigeria League.

When Gusau came into office there were issues on the stability and legitimacy of the leadership of the league couple with the lingering crises of funding for the league.

But he ensured all those issues were maturely resolved and handled without unnecessarily media grandstanding and today the Nigeria Premier Football League can boast of stable board and now a record breaking Broadcast deal with Startimes.

As easy looking as it may sound right now , the backend serious battle to arrive at this new deal could only be achieved by a quality leader.

In the past in Nigerian football , we have seen how issues of Broadcast right and Sponsorship tore the Football House apart.

Even this time around when there were boiling issues between the club owners and the leadership of the league on the broadcast deal , all parties finally resolved the matter to arrive at the Startimes Deal without unnecessary ego in the Media.

GUSAU has repeatedly said his objective is to make Nigeria football move forward from all the leagues to the various National teams.

The new Startimes broadcast deal is a huge one and a step in the right direction and a big signal to other sponsors that the Nigeria Football brand is still very viable with huge potentials.

With the New Startimes contract, Nigerians can now watch their talent domestic football stars week in week out on Televisions with multiple matches to be shown every weekend.

Gusau understands the importance of getting it right from the League because once that is in place it will twinkle down to the quality of Nigerian players in the national teams.

What the NFF boss represents is similar to that of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu with less Media attention of self and this has always being their style prior to their current emergence.

President Tinubu did not concentrate on Media appearances like other candidates but focus on behind the scene strategic plannings to win his election and he did.

Similarly Gusau never believed in Media showboating even when all other candidates were always seen in the Media but convincingly blew everybody away during the Election in Benin to succeed Amaju Pinnick as NFF President.

And today Nigeria Football league is gradually heading towards the right direction under his leadership.

Written By Michael O.
Sports Affairs Analyst/Sports Journalist

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Sports

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

Published

22 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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