Activities to kick-start the 2017/18 Nigeria
Professional Football League (NPFL) season
which began with the on-going club licensing will
enter the next stage with the annual NPFL Pre-
season tournament from December 11-17, 2017
to usher in the grand season opening matches on
January 11, 2018.
The schedule of the new season’s activities
which has been endorsed by the League
Management Company (LMC) will witness a
flurry of activities including the induction and
orientation workshop for the four newly admitted
NPFL Clubs on December 14 and the LMC Pre-
Annual General Meeting (AGM)/Consultative
Meeting with NPFL participating Clubs on
December 16 in Kano where the pre-season
tournament will hold.
According to Salihu Abubakar the LMC Chief
Operating Officer, other activities scheduled for
the month of December include “the draws for
the new season, pre-season seminar and spot
checking on Clubs compliance to licensing
regulations, payment of players and officials
salaries, status of facilities, etc.”
The LMC have also fixed t January 5, 2018 as
the final date for submission of Club Licensing
documentation by clubs participating in the
league.
The statement read, “January 5 is the cut-off
date for compliance with redemption and
settlement of any outstanding payment of
salaries arising from 2016/2017 NPFL Season to
players and coaches; and or provision of an
acceptable Financial Guarantee to guarantee the
overdue payments and a tentative payment plan
from the Club proprietors”.
Another highlight of the calendar comes up on
January 8, 2018 when the LMC, which is First
Instance Body (FIB) will issue the NFF Club
Licensing Certificate to qualified clubs that meet
the criteria for participation in the 2017/2018
NPFL Season.
“The 2017/18 season will start at all centers on
January 14 and in the first stanza, there will be
thre midweek matches on match days 2, 4 and 5
while the midseason break will be from April 30-
May 5 and a longer break for the FIFA World Cup
from June 14-July 15. Resumption from the
World Cup break will be on July 18 with match
day 25 which will be the first of another three
midweek matches in the second stanza. The
other two midweek fixtures will be on match day
27 and 29”, continued Abubakar in giving a
breakdown of the calendar.
The LMC assured that it took into consideration
all scheduled fixtures of the AITEO Cup, CAF
Club competitions and the FIFA World Cup in
planning the calendar noting that “this is part of
the reason we delayed the release of the
fixtures and barring any unforeseen events, we
definitely will conclude the season on September
30, 2018”.
