Sports

NLO 2023 Season Gets New Kick-Off Date

Published

3 years ago

April 20, 2023

Joel Ajayi
The much-awaited 2023 season of the Nationwide League One (NLO) will officially kick off on Wednesday May 3rd, according to a directive from the Secretariat.

Though it has suffered a second shift in the proposed kickoff date, in keeping with its commitments made to clubs, the Secretariat of the nation’s third-tier domestic league moved forward by a week the commencement of the new season in the best interest of all parties.

The season schedule returns to the Stadium League Format, after it was adopted and vetoed in February by the NLO Congress held virtually, as it considered the security, economic and political challenges in the country.

According to the NLO Media Channel, an official statement on Thursday gave reasons for a shift in date.

“All is still in top gear to commence the season without hitches in terms of the logistics we have put in place for the Stadium League Format,” said the NLO’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) Olushola Ogunnowo.

“On the other hand, a few clubs have slowed our activities as they were yet to complete their player’s registration processes.

“Players registration by all the clubs before the kickoff of the season, is imperative to the NLO, as it’s never our norm to start the season with a fire brigade approach.

“We also considered the knockout football competition, Federation Cup which is at the Round of 32 stages. A few NLO teams are still in the race for the trophy, so it won’t be fair if the Secretariat doesn’t consider such teams when releasing the fixtures for the season.

“Having moved the commencement date by a week, we are certain that the affected clubs will use this window to finalize their player’s registration for the season,” Ogunnowo stressed.

Meanwhile, the NLO will host a press conference in Lagos on Wednesday April 26, where it will make a massive announcement as regards its new sponsors

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Sports

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

Published

10 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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