NPL Tasks Clubs On Match Team Sheets

The Nigeria Premier League (NPL) has told the 20 clubs taking part in the top-flight of the Nigerian league to brace up in its preparation for the 2009/2010 campaign in the area of match-day programme.
Chairman of the Premier League, Oyuki Obaseki, told the media officers of the clubs during the 2009 Globacom/NPL International Seminar in Ilorin this week that it is mandatory for the clubs to make team sheets for league matches ready immediately after pre-match meetings.
The issue on the late release of team sheets was raised by the journalists covering the ongoing Super Four in Ilorin and this prompted the NPL to demand that the team lists are often ready before kick off.
In order for the spokesmen for the 20 Premier League clubs to stick to the rules of the league, as it concerns the release of team sheets for matches, the NPL declared that it would keep track of the performance of clubs in that area
“We will monitor the media officers before matches on the issue of team sheets for each of the match. The rules are clear about this. Team sheets should be made available immediately after pre-match meetings,” he advised.
The NPL chief also allayed fear that the clubs should not be afraid to make their team lists available after the pre-match meetings for fear of the use of juju.
“I know that most of you are afraid that the moment you release your team sheets several hours before a match that your opponents can use juju to beat you. And I must let you know that during my days as chairman of Bendel Insurance, I realised that juju does not work in football, so the team sheets must be made available after pre-match meetings,” charged Obaseki.
In a related development, representative of Globacom Nigeria Limited, Harry Iwuala, in his paper, ‘Duties and Functions of Club Media Officers’ pointed out that the image-makers of the club should recognise that their clubs are brands and must fashion out tools to nurture it to become a super-brand to its immediate publics.
Iwuala also advised media officers of the Premier League clubs on channels through which they can disseminate information concerning their clubs to journalists and the public.
“A media officer must understand that his club is a brand and must fashion out tools to nurture the brand through advertising, one-on-one communications and pasting and distribution of posters around town to lure people to the stadium on match-days. The use of phones and e-mail addresses to disseminate club reports as well as posting reports on the club’s website are also other ways of passing information,” he stated.
The representative of the Premier League title sponsor also advised the media officers to capitalise on building publicity for their clubs through their own players.