By Wale Mustapha
Heartland Queens Technical Adviser Ogbala Obi has lauded his team’s determination following their season-opening victory against Ekiti Queens in the Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL).
The Owerri-based club secured all three points on the road in Ado-Ekiti, a stark improvement from last season’s challenging start.
“We learned from the past, because last season we found it difficult to pick points, so we worked towards that,” Obi told the club’s media team.
“We have to do something different this season. The girls need to be commended for getting the win. I urged them to win irrespective of the opponents. Although we got the points, it was the best performance from Heartland Queens.”
The victory marks a confident start to the campaign, with Obi expressing optimism that his players can achieve even greater success this season.
Heartland Queens will next face former champions Edo Queens in Benin at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
