NIGERIA NATIONAL LEAGUE Sporting Lagos FC to Debut against Go Round FC on Saturday

Beginning from this weekend, new entrant to the country’s football scene, Sporting Lagos FC will start journey in the second-tier Nigeria National League (NNL).

They are playing hosts to Go Round FC of Omoku, Rivers State at the Teslim Balogun Stadium on Saturday, February 12 with Uche Okagbue as Head Coach.

Sporting Lagos FC, the brain-child of Paystack payment platform founder, Sola Akinlade, has promised to redefine how club football should be managed.

With the involvement of former MFM FC Chairman, Godwin Enakhena; Colin Udoh, one of Nigeria’s brightest football writers; Fola Olatuniji-David, Uzo Okonkwo, as general manager and Yemisi Cole as the secretary, it appears Sporting Lagos is set to give other teams in the league a run for their money.

“This is a new baby that is here to change the narrative of how to manage club football. We have software engineer, Akinlade, as our motivator. He made a success with Paystack and we are hoping to do same with Sporting Lagos FC. We also have a tested businessman, Uzo Okonkwo as our general manager,” stressed the sports journalist turned football administrator.

“Sporting Lagos FC was conceived because we want to employ our knowledge to create a 360-degree experience in football management. We want to create a family-oriented club which will offer more than just football to fans. We want a club where the whole family can come and enjoy the entertainment,” Enakhena further hinted of the motive driving the project.

“Akinlade is a youngman, who grew an idea from his brain and built Paystack, which is one of the biggest solution providers in Africa.

“Now, he wants to create a football club that will introduce innovations to the match-day experience. We will have vendors, concessions, food and entertainment on matchdays so that fans will look forward to good football and wonderful entertainment on match-days.

“The long-term plan is to build a family-friendly club with the best possible players and coaches”

To give supporters of the club the feeling of being a part of running the club, Enakhena disclosed that season tickets will be sold while branded jerseys will be part of the bargain.

“ The club is throwing its membership/ownership open to interested investors, who will become part owners of the enterprise,” he noted with enthusiasm.

Unlike the common practice of clubs owing players and coaches salaries, the promoters of Sporting Lagos pledged that nothing of such will happen in this new baby of NNL.

“One thing we can guarantee is that no player or official will be owed a day of his wages. Every player or coach in Sporting Lagos FC will have proper contracts and will earn market value based on each individual player’s talent,” he noted with pleasure.

Sporting Lagos FC made foray into Nigerian football scene at the just concluded Eko NNL Pre-season tournament, where they finished third.