Sportsville Communication Services Limited and Media Icons Africa Limited have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) giving the latter the marketing rights to the yearly award ceremony.

In a release jointly signed by the Chief Executive Officers of both organisations, Frank Ilaboya and John Upah, Media Icons Africa Limited will take charge of marketing the award ceremony starting from the 7th edition slated for the first quarter of 2027.

According to Ilaboya, the appointment of Media Icons Africa Limited marks a significant step in “our quest to expand the scope of the award and also make it financially viable.”

He said: “For six years, we have taken pains to build the Sportsville Special Recognition Award brand and we believe the time is now ripe to make it financially viable.

“All we have been doing from inception is to make the Sportsville Award brand a credible one that attracts the confidence of both the general public and the awardees in particular.

“The feedback has been overwhelmingly encouraging, and this appointment of Media Icons further reinforces our focus to make the Award the number one in Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa!

“So we are delighted to team up with one of Nigeria’s premium marketing agencies to achieve this, starting from the 2027 edition.”

In his reaction, Upah also expressed excitement about the prospect of marketing Nigeria’s foremost sports award ceremony.

“Honestly speaking, we are extremely excited to be part of the yearly Sportsville Special Recognition Awards brand. We have followed the award ceremony over the years, and the field report we have received shows the award is credible and well respected by the sports community. And judging from the list of recipients for the past six years, one can see the credibility and creativity behind it.

“So we are ready to hit the market in grand style and make the next edition a huge success,” the one-time Marketing Director of Canal+ AD Nigeria said.