BY JOSEPH ODOEKWU
Newly promoted Nigeria National League (NNL) club, Ijele Sports Club, is already looking forward to gaining promotion to the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) and making their club a sports hub for young talent, despite having not played a single game yet in the second tier Nigerian football division were they are looking forward to having a new experience.
This aspiration was disclosed by the CEO/ General Manager of the Enugu-based club Mr. Ferdinand Naza, in a chat with this writer, where de described the club’s promotion to the NNL as a major milestone. He further added that their promotion was a validation of all the hard work, dedication and perseverance shown by the entire team which comprised of the players, coaches, staff and supporters.
“In the next 10 years, we aspire to become a powerhouse in the Nigeria Sports Industry with a strong presence in the NPFL” Naza started. “We are also envisioning expanding our reach into grassroots development, to becoming a hub for nurturing young talents across various sports such as basketball, volleyball, table tennis and athletics”.
“Our motive is to reflect these attributes through our performance on and off the field, fostering community pride and excellence in sports” he further added.
When prompted to comment on the origin and motive behind the adoption of the name ‘Ijele’ for the club, a delighted Naza who hinted that the club derived its name from a popular masquerade in Igbo land further added that Ijele sports club intend to stand out amongst other clubs just as the big masquerade does when it comes to the village square.
“The name ‘Ijele’ is derived from the Ijele masquerade, a highly cultural symbol in Igbo land”. “It is an iconic and majestic symbol in Igbo culture which represents strength, grandeur, leadership, unity, values and cultural pride and that is exactly what we intend to mirror with Ijele Sports club” he explained.
“The Ijele masquerade is the king of all masquerades, it stands out in size, beauty, significance and similarly Ijele Sports club will aim at standing out in performance, excellence and community impact”.
While looking forward towards making a positive impact in Nigeria with the Ijele sports club, Mr. Naza however regretted that availability of sufficient funds to help the club achieve her set goals could also impede the rate at which they will achieve these goals in their 10-years plan which they have mapped out.
“One of our biggest challenges is funding, and we will need adequate sponsorship and partnership to sustain and grow the club”. ‘Finance matters a lot in everything we are doing and this ranges from player recruitment to staff development and infrastructure upgrades”. “In fact, we also need to improve our training facilities and a home stadium to meet up with the recommended standard approved by CAF so that we are not going to be subjected to playing our home games away from home when we get to the continental level”.
Though they are still seeking partnership and sponsorship that could enable them retain their big players who might be wooed by other clubs with more financial base when the league commences, Naza is open to strategic partnerships and long-term planning that will help the club achieve her set goals.
Meanwhile, with the new kick-off date and fixtures released alongside the newly approved NNL league format and new rules to be adopted for the 2024/2025 season, Ijele Sports club who are in group D will begin her NNL campaign on November 30, 2024 when they will be playing host to Zamfara United in Enugu.
