Nigeria Nationwide League One shift kick-off date, adopt stadium league format

By Oyediji Oluwaseun Babatunde

The Nationwide League One (NLO) new season has been shifted following a meeting with representatives of clubs and relevant stakeholders on Tuesday.

The decision to shift the kick-off date earlier scheduled for April 13 for the third-tier league season was taken at the NLO’s Annual General Meeting/Congress held virtually on Tuesday, with the new date set for April 26.

At the same meeting, the NLO Congress also vetoed the Stadium League format proposed by its Secretariat.

According to the NLO, the League Format – Stadium League was adopted by the Congress as it considered the security, economic and political challenge in the country.

However, the Stadium League for this season will be in the home and away format as against the one used two seasons ago owing to the COVID-19 pandemic that halted general life globally.

Given an in-depth explanation on the home and away format of the Stadium League, Chief Operating Officer(COO) Olusola Ogunowo during the Congress opened up on plans to secure a partner for clubs in Division One and Two.

“All the teams will be grouped in zones and will play matches in round robing, after that, go on a break for a week or two.

“All the team will resume for the concluding part of the season.

“For the teams that get relegated to Division 2, which is now known as the Youth League, they will only retain 10 players from their teams. The reason is, that the Youth League has an age cap of 16-19.”