BUSINESS OF FOOTBALL IN NIGERIA: The Shape of Things to Come, 2015 and Beyond

 Nigerians love football! It’s a very strong culture here, people play, watch and talk football like nothing else ever matters. Experts say there lots of potentials and opportunities here.

The West African country has a very vibrant market within the range of 80 – 100 million active football consumers. It also has a lot of financially strong organizations seeking for the right football opportunities to meet their corporate objectives.

As we are gradually getting into 2015, this article is intended to guide business investors to understand the shape of things to come; the shift in demand and the dynamics surrounding football business in Nigeria today.

Administration and Brand Image: The administration of football in Nigeria has been nothing short of dramatic over the past 0 years or so. The unending series of twists in the politics has become more of a comic relief to many followers.

The leadership tussles, banishments, reconciliations and yet new twist hovering over Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) – Pinnick Vs Giwa; the various league management board; the club owners non-alignment and the continual threat by FIFA to ban Nigeria from all organized football events in the world.

Rising Demand for European Football: Spat off! Most football consumers in the country still reject the bad taste of Nigerian League.

The stadium are still empty, while sport bars and viewing centers are getting fiiled each week; with fans passionately patronizing the English Premier League, La liga and UEFA Champions league. Companies like Multi-Choice satellite network DSTV and Super Sports are smiling to the ban; now retailing to Nigerians a cheaper version, GOTV – an indication that more home will soon get on the groove.

Growth of Bookmaking Business:  Bookmakers such as 1960Bet, Bet365, NaijaBet… are also tremendous growth in their business. More and more fans in Nigeria are taking to football betting centered on European League Matches.

We may begin to see the growth of live fantasy football soon.  Picklive Nigeria has already started introducing their Leader board in some sports bars such as Iyke’s place Maryland, Heineken Champions Planet Victoria Island Lagos Nigeria. We may see them take center stage in 2015.

Saturation of Merchandize Business:  The merchandizing of China manufactured replica Jerseys and memorabilia may have come to saturation, but haven’t in any way shown decline. Fans of the various European football clubs such as Chelsea, Arsenal, Man United, and Barcelona… are always rushing to the market to purchase the latest brand for each new season.

Over 30 million fans patronize these merchandize

Sports Media Lead the People On: Sports programs on local TV and radio stations in Nigeria are bombarded with calls from fans showing of their interest in European league.

Sports newspapers and magazine headlines and center spread are usually dedicated to European football news and reviews. Only Nigerian pros in the national team can get some of the headlines too. The trend may not change in 2015.

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