By Harry Awurumibe, Editor, Abuja Bureau
The Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL) has announced Bayelsa state as the hosts of the 2023/2024 NWFL Premiership Super Six.
The highly-anticipated NWFL Premiership title championship is scheduled to run from Thursday, May 16 to Sunday 26, 2023 in Yenagoa, Bayelsa state capital city.
Bayelsa was confirmed as host by the NWFL on Tuesday following a review of bid interests from various states to stage the playoff competition.
Nkechi Obi, the NWFL chairman, said: “On behalf of the board and management of the NWFL, let me congratulate Bayelsa state for being selected as the hosts for the NWFL Premiership Super Six.”
“We hope this opportunity to host a great Super Six will further boost women’s football in Bayelsa and raise the profile of the sport in Nigeria.”
This will be the first time that the NWFL Premiership playoff tournament will be hosted by Bayelsa state. Yenagoa is also the home ground of Bayelsa Queens, who had a memorable 2022 NWFL Premiership campaign where they famously won the domestic title, WAFU-B playoff and eventually finished third at the 2022 CAF Women’s Champions League held in Morocco.
On the tournament’s schedule, Modupe Shabi, the NWFL’s Chief Operating Officer, said the Super Six playoff will be played in a round-robin format, with each participating team playing five matches in the race for the coveted title.
Shabi said the participating clubs are expected to arrive in Yenagoa on Thursday, May 16, 2024, followed by the draw and pre-match meeting to be held on Friday, May 17 from 10 am.
The play-off tournament would begin on Saturday, May 18 with Matchday One and end with the Matchday Five on Sunday, May 26. Three matches will be played on each Match Day, with breaks in between match days.
With holders Delta Queens missing out, six giants will battle for the coveted Nigerian league crown, having qualified as the top three finishers from two groups during the regular season of 14 matches.
The six teams include the host team Bayelsa Queens, Edo Queens, Rivers Angels, Confluence Queens, Nasarawa Amazons and Heartland Queens.
In Group A, Nasarawa Amazons finished as group winners with 27 points from 14 matches, followed by Confluence Queens in second with 25 points and Heartland Queens in third with 24 points. READ ALSO:
- Cubana Chief Priest backs Okorocha’s call on Nnamdi Kanu’s release
- Police, Osun park management trade blame over shooting of chairman
- Wike approves N70,000 minimum wage for FCTA workers
- Court remands man, 37, for alleged sexual assault of 8-year-old girl
- Shooting: Appeal Court upholds N30m damages against Ondo Govt, “Amotekun”
Sitting top in Group B was Rivers Angels with 27 points, four ahead of Edo Queens in second and Bayelsa Queens in third with 22 points from 14 games.
The title winner of this year’s Super Six tournament will represent the country in the WAFU-B qualifiers to qualify for the 4th CAF Women’s Champions League.
