The Nigerian Premier Football League (NPFL) has urged Shooting Stars of Ibadan, Abia Warriors of Umuahia, Sunshine Stars and Kwara United to upgrade the pitches, if they want the turfs to host their home games in the 2024/25 season.
Other teams with defective playing turfs, according to the NPFL, are Niger Tornadoes, Plateau United, and newly promoted El-Kanemi Warriors.
They were ordered to upgrade their playing turfs or face the prospect of playing on alternative grounds.The NPFL said it would hold its yearly general meeting on July 15 and 16 to deliberate on the 2024/25 season scheduled to start on August 31, 2024.
“And towards the August kick-off date, some clubs have been directed to carry out remedial works to ensure that their grounds meet facility requirements of the Club Licensing Regulations,” the league body stated.
NPFL’s Chief Operating Officer, Davidson Owumi, in a letter to the clubs, dated July 2, commended the clubs on the successful completion of the last season and extended the invitation for the AGM.
He said: “I write to convey the warm wishes of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) Board and Management and to congratulate member clubs for the successful completion of the 2023/24 season.
“It is in working towards the new season’s earnest preparations and take-off on August 31, 2024, that the Board has elected to invite member clubs for the AGM on a tentative date of July 15-16 in Lagos.
“As we look forward to the meeting, letters have been written to some of the clubs whose facilities were found not suitable to host the NPFL matches in the new season in compliance with provisions of Facility requirements of the Club Licensing Regulations.”Owumi also urged the other clubs not to do a self-review of their facilities to ensure they meet requirements for approval.
