Nigeria Content Online

The
women league in Nigeria has come a long way, but the longevity does not
mean it is better, Pepsie Adiukwu, a pioneer broadcaster in the women’s
league has said. Football among women was introduced in the late 1970s
but it was not until around 1985 that the formation of clubs began when
the likes Jegede Babes and Simbiat babes came on the scene to become
the pioneer clubs. The first league season was inaugurated in 1991 and
Ufuoma Babes of Warri had the honour of being the first club to win the
league title.

“The late Emeka
Omeruah, one time Nigerian Football Association Chairman got interested
in the women’s game and sought for a way to develop it like men’s
football. Omeruah consulted Iain Nelson, a consultant with Pepsi, who
is the brain behind the Pepsi Football Academy to help take football to
greater heights,” Adiukwu said.

Up till that time Nelson was ignorant about women football.

“At the time
Omeruah invited me to head a developmental committee for female
football in the NFA, I did not even know that there was a Female
League,” Nelson said.

“We were the
sponsors of the men’s league, the Pepsi Professional League but when
this challenge of changing a moribund, non-existent league into a brand
that would be attractive and viable enough to get people watching, I
took it up.”

The peak

Being a marketer,
Nelson saw the raw talent of the ladies playing football as a product
that should not be hidden and he made effort to help give them exposure
them.

“What we (Pepsi)
first did was to endorse some of the women who were already in the
Falcons – the national team. The likes of Patience Avre, Mercy Akide,
Florence Omagbemi, Stella Mbachu and Perpetua Nkwocha were given such
an endorsement,” Nelson said.

Why did Pepsi endorse these ladies?

“I observed that
most people may not really go to watch a team play, they want to see
Wayne Rooney in Manchester United or Lionel Messi in Barcelona. So we
wanted to make these ladies heroes like their male counterparts.”

The show

The developmental programme also gave birth to a television show – Female Soccer with Pepsie.

According to
Adiukwu, who was the pioneer anchor, “The programme was used to feature
the girls; what they were doing outside the football pitch, which one
was having a baby, who was getting married and who was attending what…

“The essence of the programme was to give them a lot of publicity and exposure to the public; to show them to the world.”

Nelson said apart
from giving the ladies in the Falcons exposure, they also extended
their reach into the league, “The Pepsi brand got in to sponsor the
league. At that time Super Falcons were rated higher than the Eagles.
These were people who the only thing they had working for them was
their talent and the passion they had for the game.

“They came from nowhere quite frankly and changed things.”

The league

So the name of the league was changed to the Pepsi Female National League.

“Then we also made
certain they were prizes for the challenge Cup, gave cash prizes to the
most valuable player every month,” Adiukwu added.

“Media
participation was also encouraged by instituting prizes to the reporter
of the month. I won that award twice and there was also the challenge
cup, the endorsed players, it was a whole total package for them.”

The high point for Nelson was when he got the wife of the head of state involved.

“We were able to
persuade Mariam Abacha, wife of the then president to sponsor a
football tournament. In 1998 we were able to host the African Women
Championship. It was held in Abeokuta and Kaduna.”

Nelson who saw it as an another big opportunity for exposure recounted his feelings prior to the start of the tournament.

“I remember sitting
in the Kaduna Stadium before the first match begun and the whole place
was empty and I started wondering if I had done the right thing.”

All things however went well and Nigeria emerged as winners.

The decline

Things started to go downhill in the league in 2002. By then, the Pepsi sponsorship contract had run through.

“I got discouraged
because it seemed the momentum was lost and we could not get it back. I
stopped my programme in 2003 when it seemed as if I was always
repeating myself and nobody was listening,” Adiukwu said.

Some of the players
who played in the glorious days of the sponsored league and who are
still playing now said they were disappointed at the way things turned
out.

Precious Nnodim currently plays for Ibom Angels in Akwa Ibom and she has decried the state of the current league.

“It is so
deplorable now because you don’t know what is going to happen next.
When Pepsi was still sponsoring the league, you knew your allowances
were coming as at when due. Also there were a lot of tournaments, like
the Super Six which was meant for the teams that finished in the top
six but now even when you finish at the top six, you don’t get to play
in the tournament,” Nnodim said.

“Around 2004 we just saw that things started to change. Then I was still with Delta Queens when all these crises started.”

Bunmi Kayode who currently plays for Delta Queens also gave an account of the glory days.

“Then you were
always certain that games will be played. There were no walkovers like
are the case now. Also we had our medicals attended to but now you will
be wondering and praying when things would get better.”

Nnodim attested to the fact that walkovers have become common.

“Just recently we could not play the game we were supposed to because Nasarawa Amazons could not come over to Akwa Ibom.”

The quest

To bring the women
football league back to life and to sustain it some administrators have
advocated for a separate association for women football.

“I think there
should be a separate football development department for women filled
with committed people within the NFA because most times when the heat
gets on, they will concentrate on the men to the detriment of other
aspect of the sport,” Adiukwu said.

Nelson explained
that, “You do not run your own show with a secretary; you need to have
a form of autonomy to function effectively. That is not to say that
they would not still be affiliated to the Federation. The NFF (Nigeria
Football Federation) already has a baggage but if they can leave a
little of the baggage to some other people, why not?”

The Super Falcon’s coach, Joy Etim, also wants a separate
association for women football. “In the event that problems come up
they will always be there like big brothers. Maybe if they allow those
directly involved to run things, they would see thing differently and
would be able to proffer more concrete solutions.”