The Nigeria University Games Association in conjunction with Pace Sports Entertainment Limited has concluded arrangements to stage a football competition for universities registered with NUGA.
Both parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Tuesday in Lagos to kick-start the competition tagged Higher Institutions Football League (HIFL)
The event is billed to take place between July 28 and October 27, 2018 in eight zones and for the period of 14 weeks, 30 matches will be played. Already, the institutions have been divided into the two groups- the Atlantic (South) and Savannah (North) groups- for logistics reasons.
According to Head Strategy at Pace Sports Entertainment and marketing, Olamide Adeyemo, the competition will be on home and away basis while the final four matches will take place at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos.
“We have been on this project for over one year and so we have held many meetings to look at all areas to make the event a huge success. We are committed to engage the students and use this platform to help in the development of sports facilities across the institutions in the country,” Adeyemo said.
NUGA President, Stephen Hamafyelto, expressed delight on the forthcoming competition which has the endorsement of the Nigeria Football Federation.
The Technical Partner of the Project, and chief Executive officer of Green White Green outfit, Alhaji Shuaibu Gara-Gombe, said the project will a good platform for students to exhibit their talents to the world.
Gara-Gombe said: “The HIFL is aimed at filling a vacuum that has been created a long time in the Nigerian sports landscape. We are faced with a motion and no movement situation because government is in front but we cannot continue like that in sports.
“Government cannot do everything. There is a big platform for the private sector in this initiative and this time we want to use this competition to make a big statement and set a standard.”