NPFL Chairman explains how Nigerian clubs will make money from U17 visit to Spain
Chairman of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), Gbenga Elegbeleye has announced that Nigerian clubs are set to benefit financially from the NPFL U17 program.
This comes as the NPFL U17 Youth team, which resumed training last Sunday, prepares to travel to Spain for further development. There is a potential for some players to secure professional contracts during their stay.
In a recent interview during a friendly match between Legacy Football Academy and the NPFL U17 team at MKO Abiola Stadium, Elegbeleye expressed optimism about the future of Nigerian football. He highlighted the program’s potential to generate revenue for Nigerian clubs.
Elegbeleye stated to BSNSports, “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 pastures. We believe in bringing innovation into the game so that teams can have more financial benefits.”
He explained that European clubs are on the lookout for young talents, and the NPFL U17 program aims to expose these players to major European clubs. He mentioned, “Our goal is to expose these players, discovered during the NPFL U17 Youth Tournament, to top European clubs. We need more young players in the league to advance to national teams.”
The selection of players for the NPFL U17 team involved notable Nigerian ex-internationals, including Daniel Amokachi, Yakubu Ayegbeni, Austin Eguavoen, Seyi Olofinjana, and Patrick Pascal. Elegbeleye added, “I recently returned from Spain, where I arranged for Nigerian clubs to benefit from Sevilla’s youth development program.”
He revealed that Nigerian clubs could gain technical support, benefit from potential player sales, and see Nigerian coaches receive training in Spain. Elegbeleye said, “If any of these players secure contracts during the tour, we will inform the world and the club owning the player about the financial agreement. If a Nigerian club earns as much as five hundred thousand euros from selling a player, it’s a significant boost for financial responsibilities.”
Elegbeleye emphasised his goal of reducing clubs’ reliance on government funding, suggesting that revenue from player sales could help clubs cover expenses and manage long-distance travel.
