coogar:

then what are the private firms doing about that? nigeria needs a murdoch. we have the population and the passion for the game.

PRIVATE FIRMS HAVE ALL TRIED TO SAVE THE LEAGUE BUT WITHOUT SUCCESS.
Private clubs in the past: Nigerlux, Nasco jets, DIC Bees (ranchers bees), VASCO DA GAGAMA, Exide, Rubber board, ACB, NEPA, etc.
The most important thing to happen to the league will be an improved TV coverage. TV rights brings a lot of money to clubs but in our league, very little or nothing comes in from Tv.
Under Orji Uzor Kalu, Enyimba partnered so many companies abroad, gate fees increased, deaf and dunb hired to man the gates yet the club operated at a loss.
The number one way forward is to package our league and to be sold out. I mean package a better league.

Andre Uweh:
PRIVATE FIRMS HAVE ALL TRIED TO SAVE THE LEAGUE BUT WITHOUT SUCCESS.
Private clubs in the past: Nigerlux, Nasco jets, DIC Bees (ranchers bees), VASCO DA GAGAMA, Exide, Rubber board, ACB, NEPA, etc.
The most important thing to happen to the league will be an improved TV coverage. TV rights brings a lot of money to clubs but in our league, very little or nothing comes in from Tv.
Under Orji Uzor Kalu, Enyimba partnered so many companies abroad, gate fees increased, deaf and dunb hired to man the gates yet the club operated at a loss.
The number one way forward is to package our league and to be sold out. I mean package a better league.

wish i am a billionaire....
its about calling the nfa and top clubs to a round table - every club must have it's own stadium with a standard capacity. then, get the TV stations involved. hire foreign football analysts and package the product like sky did the premier league.

coogar:

wish i am a billionaire....
its about calling the nfa and top clubs to a round table - every club must have it's own stadium with a standard capacity. then, get the TV stations involved. hire foreign football analysts and package the product like sky did the premier league.

Word

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtAhXGvNNrU&feature=youtu.be

coogar:

wish i am a billionaire....
its about calling the nfa and top clubs to a round table - every club must have it's own stadium with a standard capacity. then, get the TV stations involved. hire foreign football analysts and package the product like sky did the premier league.

It starts with the big men in Nigeria eg Dangote, Adenuga, Ibeto, Ifeanyi Uba buying a particular team and running them like a business venture.

Andre Uweh:
They defeated Nationale in the finals via Aham Nwankwo's goal. Before then, Nationale had won the league and were very tired. In that 89, Nationale had the likes of Mattew Onyeama and Ansah from Leventis, Toyin Ayinla and Wahab Haruna from Abiola babes, Friday Elaho and Cyril Levi from NNPC warri, Chimezie Nwanaga from Rangers, Uche Okechukwu, and Mike Obiku from Flash Flamingoes, Thompson Oliha from Insurance etc. What a great team then.

Are you sure Friday Elaho played for NNPC, I know he started at Bendel Insurance then went to ACB.

Andre Uweh:
I think they are not related. Davidson's surname is Owunmi and he is from Rivers state. He played for Sharks and moved over to Rangers in 86. He was the second highest goal scorer in Ngierian league 85 after Edema Fuludu of New Nigerian bank Benin. He retired at Rangers, became a coach and later team manager at Rangers. He was later a director of sports in Enugu state. Its a pity Yekini could not allow them make it to the Green eagles then.

Davidson Owunmi is a Warri boy, he went to Flash Flamingoes from Sharks (transferring from UNIPORT to UNIBEN in the process). Fuludu only joined and captained NNB in 88. You probably mean Edobor being top scorer in the league in 85.

Andre Uweh:
Ayo Ogulana, a very decent player, he later played for Nigeria at Algeria 90. Samson Ozogula did not play for Leventis but for IICC. He came from Insurance. I remember when Louis Igwillo of Rangers cancelled his goal at injury time. Then IICC played their home matches at Liberty stadium Oke ado.

Zion Train Ozogula went to IICC from NNB, he never played for Insurance. Isn't Liberty stadium around the ring road area?

coogar:

toyin ayinla's back pass.... hahahahaha, i think he was bribed. to play a looping back pass from that distance and score should have been investigated.

He was being pressurised by Ekarika and Raymond King had already started running from his goal. He could never stay put in his 6 yard box, that guy.

Andre Uweh:
And the keeper for Abiola that day, Raymond King should have parried that ball over the bar.
Anyway, Abiola later won the challenge cup in 1997.
While Abiola and Leventis lasted, Iwuanyanwu never won the FA Cup as well as the league. They were so close in 86 when Bummi Adigun equalized for Leventis at the semi finals. Before then, Chike Arisa had put Nationale ahead with 15 minutes to go.
The match went into penalties.
Leventis scored 5 of their spot kicks and nationale's Bengy Nzeakor lost his.
Nationale first won it in 1988 when they beat flash flamingoes 3 nil at Adamashingba.

The original Abiola Babes were disbanded in 1988, you must mean 1987. Nationale players did well to score their penalties against Ansah.

Andre Uweh:
Till this day, Leventis remains the greatest Nigerian team I saw when growing up. This team won the FA cup in 1984 while in Div 3. They won the div 3 team without losing a match in 1984. In 1985, now promoted to div 2, won the league. In 1986, now in div 1, also won the league.
In 1987, the defended their league title.

They had Division 1 caliber players when they were in Divisions 2 and 3 so those achievements are not as wonderful as you make out. Yes they were the most professionally organised team, ut not the greatest. The greatest Nigerian teams are jointly Rangers or IICC, or maybe Enyimba.

aswani:
They had Division 1 caliber players when they were in Divisions 2 and 3 so those achievements are not as wonderful as you make out. Yes they were the most professionally organised team, ut not the greatest. The greatest Nigerian teams are jointly Rangers or IICC, or maybe Enyimba.

Please it's Rangers first and others next. We don't share the first spot. Rangers history alone thumps Enyimba. Enyimba is a relatively new team that was founded in the 90s. Though they've achieved a lot in this short time but Rangers still retains the number one spot.

Andre Uweh:
Heartland was not there in 72. Joined in 76.
With the creation of Imo state in 1976, the new state formed two new teams-Spartans and Enyimba. While Spartans joined the national league in 76, Enyimba joined the eastern league same year.
Enyimba provided bulk of the players that featured for Spartans in the league and to some extent Rangers.

Rangers raided P & T (later NITEL) Vasco Da Gama more than they did either Spartans or Enyimba.
Was there an Eastern league? I thought below the National League structure were individual state leagues.

Andre Uweh:
In 1987,they got to semi finals of African club championship now champions league. Probably, would have later won it if not for the disbandment.
What a great team.

Not necessarily, they only started playing against similarly well organised clubs (Ahly Nationale, Zamalek, Esperance, Africa Sports, ASEC etc) in continental competions and there was no guarantee they would do as well as they did playing against Naija teams.

Shooting Stars on point!

Andre Uweh:
The Imo state govt then found it so difficult to sponsor Spartans and Enyimba fc. Hence they relinquished ownership of Enyimba fc to Aba Township council. As a result of financial difficulties, the council handed it over to Falcons bottling company. The club was renamed Falcons until Amadi Ikwechegh's regime in Imo state. This regime bought it back from Falcons and renamed it Enyimba.

I think it was a beer brewering team from Aba that was called Falcons. I can't remember the name of the parent company but I saw them play against IBWA Sharpshooters in the mid to late 80's at Onikan stadium. They had this fast short striker up front that was a class above everybody else on the pitch that day. Ogbuefi Phillip Osondu went on to represent Nigeria at an U17 world cup later on, The rest as they say is history.

honeric01:

All these name name change self, too many begging club-sides, always waiting for the govt to feed them before they can eat, until i see a club like COD in the NPL, i can't really rate our club sides even though Pillars are doing great so far.

just check out the privately owned club side in the DIV 1. COD (City Of David) FC.

Nembe City are privately owned by Baribote, ABS are owned by Busola Saraki and are also in the NPL, both are privately owned.

coogar:

wish i am a billionaire....
its about calling the nfa and top clubs to a round table - every club must have it's own stadium with a standard capacity. then, get the TV stations involved. hire foreign football analysts and package the product like sky did the premier league.

Italian clubs do not own their Stadiums, why should Nigerians? Clubs only need a clubhouse and a decent training facility and they should leave the state government to build and maintain stadiums which they need only hire. We need to crawl before we fly.

aswani:
Nembe City are privately owned by Baribote, ABS are owned by Busola Saraki and are also in the NPL, both are privately owned.

i believe these 2 clubs are getting money indirectly from the state's pulse. They're not 100% free from govt hands especially nembe city under that 'man' baribote who was one of the reason bayelsa went down some seasons ago.

aswani:
Italian clubs do not own their Stadiums, why should Nigerians? Clubs only need a clubhouse and a decent training facility and they should leave the state government to build and maintain stadiums which they need only hire. We need to crawl before we fly.

maybe this is why the italian league is shyte!
if only 10 clubs can pass this standard then let them be the only ones in the top division. more organisation would attract more foreign investors and sponsors and the league would grow from there.

coogar:

maybe this is why the italian league is shyte!
if only 10 clubs can pass this standard then let them be the only ones in the top division. more organisation would attract more foreign investors and sponsors and the league would grow from there.

Teams mustn't own stadiums. Even in England, not all teams own stadiums. Some of them are built by their sponsors while some clubs lease these venues.

aswani:
Are you sure Friday Elaho played for NNPC, I know he started at Bendel Insurance then went to ACB.

Nationale bought him from NNPC. Am very sure.

aswani:
I think it was a beer brewering team from Aba that was called Falcons. I can't remember the name of the parent company but I saw them play against IBWA Sharpshooters in the mid to late 80's at Onikan stadium. They had this fast short striker up front that was a class above everybody else on the pitch that day. Ogbuefi Phillip Osondu went on to represent Nigeria at an U17 world cup later on, The rest as they say is history.

It's Falcons bottling company at Aba.

aswani:
Not necessarily, they only started playing against similarly well organised clubs (Ahly Nationale, Zamalek, Esperance, Africa Sports, ASEC etc) in continental competions and there was no guarantee they would do as well as they did playing against Naija teams.

Very debatable.

aswani:
Rangers raided P & T (later NITEL) Vasco Da Gama more than they did either Spartans or Enyimba.
Was there an Eastern league? I thought below the National League structure were individual state leagues.

Indeed, there was an Eastern Nigeria league. It was mostly for East central states but it was called the eastern Nigerian league. Teams like P&T Spiders, Enyimba , Golden Guinea etc played in that league. Spartans drew players from this league.

aswani:
The original Abiola Babes were disbanded in 1988, you must mean 1987. Nationale players did well to score their penalties against Ansah.

Abiola babes was disbanded late 1987. They did not play in 1988 league

Afam4eva:
Please it's Rangers first and others next. We don't share the first spot. Rangers history alone thumps Enyimba. Enyimba is a relatively new team that was founded in the 90s. Though they've achieved a lot in this short time but Rangers still retains the number one spot.

Enyimba was founded in 1976. Do not bet over this

aswani:
The original Abiola Babes were disbanded in 1988, you must mean 1987. Nationale players did well to score their penalties against Ansah.

Benjy Nzeakor the first taker for Nationale lost his kick

aswani:
Zion Train Ozogula went to IICC from NNB, he never played for Insurance. Isn't Liberty stadium around the ring road area?

I think it was Tarila Okoronwanta who joined IICC from Insurance. Later he left for Ivory Coast.
Yes, Liberty is at Oke Ado around Ring Road.

honeric01:

i believe these 2 clubs are getting money indirectly from the state's pulse. They're not 100% free from govt hands especially nembe city under that 'man' baribote who was one of the reason bayelsa went down some seasons ago.

I don't want to open a can of worms but why would a state government that allowed Ocean boys to implode due to lack of funds just last year suddenly be part sponsoring Baribote's team?

Andre Uweh:
Nationale bought him from NNPC. Am very sure.

His Wikipedia page confirms he went to Nationale from ACB.

Andre Uweh:
It's Falcons bottling company at Aba.

I would be surprised if a company was called 'Falcons Bottling company' in Nigeria, I think the company was Premier Breweries and the club was named 'Premier Breweries Falcons football club of Aba'.
Shame the NFA or NFF don't have a website with an archives page.

I wonder if it was Golden Guinea Falcons of Umuahia actually!