The local Nigerian football space is generating increasing interest. While we can’t argue that the English Premier League and Spanish La Liga are superior to the Nigerian football league, the latter is becoming more attractive for investors and players.
Some of the biggest sports prediction sites, like telecomasia, are increasingly focusing on local matches and indigenous sports starts.
Interestingly, investors are now flocking to the Nigerian premier league, confident of its promise. But which are the biggest brands to have partnered with the Nigerian Premier League?
1. Bitnob
One of the latest brands to sponsor the Nigerian Professional Football League sponsors is Bitnob.
The Bitcoin storing brand penned a deal to become the league’s official Fintech partner. Several Nigerian football heavyweights and stakeholders attended the unveiling event in Ikeja.
Bitnob cites its aim of signing the deal as developing football which is a source of hope, oneness, and freedom. It’s a 3-year deal that starts in the 2022/23 season, but its financial weight remains undisclosed.
As mentioned earlier, Bitnob is a Bitcoin-sharing company that functions primarily through a mobile app. It’s a trailblazer in the African Nigerian and African cryptocurrency sectors. Bitnob is available in the UK and many other locations globally.
2. Bet9ja
Bet9ja is one of the largest bookmakers and sportsbooks in Nigeria and Africa. It offers many sports betting services in the best leagues globally and the Nigerian Professional Football League.
Bet9ja is one of the most visited sites in Nigeria and ranks among the 500 most viewed websites globally as of 2020.
It signed a sponsorship deal with the NPFL just before it kicked off for the 2021/22 season. The contract saw the brand become the official gaming sponsor of the NPFL.
Kunle Soname, the company’s owner, is also the owner of the NPFL team, Remo Stars football club.
At the opening ceremony, the brand urges other Nigerian companies to support local sports development and stop local funds into foreign sports franchises.
It’s not the first time the company will sponsor sporting activities in the country. The brand also sponsors the Lagos City Marathon and many other grassroots events.
3. SPORTFIVE
SPORTFIVE is one of the biggest sports marketing agencies globally, and it has its headquarters in Hamburg, Germany.
It has worked with prominent sporting events like the Olympics and FIFA World Cup. SPORTFIVE has worked with top football clubs like Juventus, Borrusia Dortmund, Paris St. Germain, and AS Monaco.
In 2021, it penned a deal to become the official sales representative of the NPFL and the Nigerian National teams. The brand will commercialize and distribute the NPFL marketing rights.
Also, the league’s stakeholders hope the partnership will birth good tiding, find the league new partners, and expand its commercial marketing.
4. Supersport
Supersport is a South African sports broadcasting television company. It serves South Africa, Nigeria, and many other African countries.
The brand of one of the leading sports broadcasters in Africa and the second-largest English Premier League broadcaster globally.
In 2013, the League Management Company signed a $34 million deal with the broadcaster to let them televise NPFL games. The deal was successful, and the NPFL matches went live.
Unfortunately, the contract was ended prematurely after three years due to misunderstandings between both parties.
The Naira suffered a downturn against the Dollar, and the LMC refused to renegotiate the deal’s terms.
This move forced Supersport to end the partnership, and they even accused the LMC of breach of contract. The NPFL hasn’t gotten consistent broadcasting on Television since the end of the Supersport’s contract.
5. Globacom
Nigerian Telecommunication giant, Globacom is another on the list of companies that partnered with the NPFL. The company has over 50 million subscribers and is one of the largest telecommunications brands in Africa.
In 2013, it signed a deal worth 1.9 billion Naira to become the league’s title sponsor.
It was the first time in a while that the NPFL saw a title sponsorship deal. However, Globacom decided not to renew it upon expiry. Since then, the NPFL hasn’t received another title sponsor.
6. Hero Lager
Hero Lager is a prominent beer brand in Nigeria and a product of Inferfact Beverages Limited. It signed a contract with the NPFL in December 2021 to sponsor five clubs: Enyimba FC, Ifeanyi Uba, Abia Warriors, Enugu Rangers, and Heartland.
The deal’s financial details remain undisclosed, but it ran only for one season. The brand’s spokesperson cites Hero Lager’s zeal for developing local sports as its motivation for sponsoring the league.
7. Star Lager
Star Lager is one of the biggest beer brands in Nigeria and has been serving customers since 1949. It’s a product of Nigerian Breweries, which has markets in Nigeria and Africa.
Star Lager was the first beer brand to sign a sponsorship deal with the Nigerian Professional Football League when it did so before the start of the 2015/16 season. It ran for five years until the 2019/20 season.
Star noted that signing the deal is a way to recognize the fans and reward them by ensuring they enjoy local football.
Do you agree that the Nigerian Premier League is set for greater heights and attracting sponsorship deals rivaling the likes of the English Premier League and La Liga?
