Before the start of last season, the Nigeria Premier League (NPL) had promised that it would run an official website for the league. The contract of the job was given to a Nigerian-based outfit with names withheld. By the time, the Premier League campaign for the 2008/2009 season got underway on September 13, the official website of the NPL was hoisted but yet to get into full swing. The website was no doubt hoisted but it had little or no content after four weeks into the new season.
Throughout the whole season of 2008/2009, the official website of the league arbiter could pass for an arid land, as information were few and statistics were few weeks behind schedule with Premier League writers having to depend on their own personal data gathered from match venues and at times, electronic-mail (e-mail) from the secretariat of the NPL for top scorers and results of matches as well as logs.
At a point last season, there was a controversy over the true statistics regarding the top scorer of the Premier League. The controversy then was that Orok Akarandut was yet to score double figures in the league as represented in newspapers across the country. The statistics presented by the media committee saddled with the responsibility of collating statistics was few weeks behind schedule, which infuriated the NPL chairman, Oyuki Obaseki.
On the other hand, the consultants saddled with the responsibility of maintaining the official website of the Premier League did not do a good job either, as the website lay fallow. The website with address as www.nigeriapremierleague.com just few weeks before the end of last season finally crumbled into comatose. Apart from going into comatose, it was quite difficult for the maintainers to lure traffic to it due to its inactivity, as it was update almost one week after league matches must have been played on weekends.
But the NPL chairman explained the sudden comatose of the website saying that it is under construction in preparation for the new season. He admitted that the immediate past season was not such a success in hoisting the website since the consultants found it difficult to regularly post fresh and breaking news as well as statistics on the website.
However, it appears that there could be a light at the end of the tunnel after. Since the Nigerian firm that handled the website last year failed to make an impact, the NPL has contracted a South African-based company, PA Sport. This was confirmed by the NPL Executive Secretary, Alhassan Yakmut, during the week. PA Sport with one of its networks in South Africa is the world's leading sport news and information provider. The firm joined forces with the Premier Soccer League (PSL) in a bid to develop coverage of football in South Africa.
The coming of PA Sport South Africa is no doubt a plaudit for the NPL, but the firm would still look like a foreigner in a strange without the guidance of a few persons, who have in-depth knowledge on the Nigerian league.
Since the relationship with the PSL and PA Sport South Africa started, the union has been able to deliver the PSL on mobile apart from official website. The venture of PSL Mobile has given thousands of fans in South Africa the opportunity to follow their clubs during live matches.
With such mobile service, the media, sponsors, clubs and the betting industry, which is not yet established in Nigeria, would have the avenue to monitor results and statistics up to date. PA Sport has been using this method to gather statistics and results in the English Premier League (EPL).
PA Sport South Africa has adopted the same procedure of gathering information in the EPL for the PSL. It has a total of 30 match data gatherers spread across South Africa. The coverage of PA Sport includes the PSL, Mvela Golden Leagues as well as other cup ties in South Africa. With the coming of the world’s leading sports news and information provider to the Premier League in Nigeria, it is hoped that the union with the NPL would be maximized.
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