NPFL U17: Elegbeleye Predicts Financial Gains For Nigerian Clubs

NPFL U17: Elegbeleye Predicts Financial Gains For Nigerian Clubs

By Niyi Busari

Chairman, Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), Gbenga Elegbeleye has said that clubs will soon start to make more money from the NPFL U17 program, BSNSports.com.ng reports.

The selected NPFL U17 Youth team who resumed camping last Sunday will depart Nigeria for Spain for further training with possibility of some of the players getting a professional contract.

Elegbeleye, while speaking exclusively with www.bsnsports.com.ng during a friendly match between Legacy Football Academy and NPFL U17 at the Mainbowl of MKO Abiola Stadium on Wednesday is confident that some of the players will tie down a professional contract with Sevilla which will serve as major revenue for Nigerian clubs.

He said, "We feel as a country, we should improve our football league, it's an eyesore seeing our players playing in lesser countries in search of greener pasture. We think we should bring innovation into the game with the final effect of teams having more money.

"In Europe, they're searching for young players. Now, ours is to expose these players discovered during the NPFL U17 Youth Tournament to major clubs in Europe. Meanwhile, we need more young players in the league to graduate to different national teams.

We selected the best among the players in the NPFL U17 competition played across five centers. Nigeria ex-internationals like Daniel Amokachi, Yakubu Ayegbeni, Austin Eguavoen, Seyi Olofinjana and Patrick Pascal helped us to identify and select the best among them. 

"I just came back from Spain where I had arrangement with Sevilla for Nigeria clubs to benefit from their youth development program.

 Nigeria clubs can benefit by getting technical support through youth training and possible sales of players and also training will be extended to Nigerian coaches in the NPFL who will travel to Spain to improve their technical knowledge.

He continued, "And I believe some of these players may get clubs during the tour and when that happens, we will announce to the world that this player through this process has been able to secure a professional contract and whatever the amount, we will let the club (who is the owner of the player) know the amount being agreed. If a club in Nigeria gets as much as five hundred thousand euros for instance from selling a player that is a big plus to take care of some financial responsibility.

The idea of running to government for money at every time is what I am trying to discourage. So that if the government does not give club money, they can fall back to the one made on the sale of player to augment. And we expect NPFL clubs to fly their players to long distance match venues.