By Georgina Bode
Abuja – Emmanuel Adesanya, a Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) official, on Friday in Abuja assured that the 2017 Women Federation Cup would be more attractive to clubs and fans.
Adesanya, who is of the Federation Cup Unit in the Federation’s Competitions Department, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the 2016 was not really attractive and encouraging.
“Only few clubs participated in this year’s event because of the high cost of registration. But next season’s competition will see a reduction in the cost so that more clubs will register.
“Also, the standard of the clubs in previous matches was poor. But we pray that more clubs will participate next season for us to have a high standard and improved performance.
“In the previous seasons, a larger number of clubs participated. So, we will make sure next season’s competition will be more attractive by reducing the registration fees,” he said.
Adesanya said clubs would also be categorised into groups to avoid long distance movement for teams to honour matches.
“We want to give club owners and sponsors less stress by grouping them according to geographical zones.
“For instance, for a club in Bayelsa to honour a match in Lagos, it will be stressful for the players and even the club’s owner.
“The movement can even discourage their sponsors, especially when they consider the cost of transportation and accommodation,” he said.