NWFL, La Liga parley seeks means of deepening Nigerian women football

The Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL) at the weekend met with its Spanish counterpart, La Liga to exploit the opportunity of flagging off the collaboration between the bodies, which was signed some months ago.

The La Liga, represented by Pedro Malabia and NWFL president, Aisha Falode held a meeting with the management of Valencia Football Club to activate the MOU signed between the two entities.

Sequel to the agreement signed in February, LaLiga and the Nigerian Women Football League (NWFL) held a preliminary meeting with the aim of initiating collaboration between both entities.

The meeting, which took place at the LaLiga headquarters in Madrid, was attended by Pedro Malabia, head of LaLiga women’s football, NWFL’s Falode, Timothy Timisire, who is the Commercial and Corporate Strategy Director at the NWFL and Javier del Rio, Director of the LaLiga office in Nigeria.

According to NWFL President, Aisha Falode, the main purpose of the meeting was to gain a better understanding of how LaLiga is developing women’s football in Spain, as well as to learn about the development and future of the women’s competition in Nigeria.

“Points on the agenda included the discussion of aspects related to initiatives targeted at raising visibility, marketing strategies and economic growth targets. Delegates from the African competition also expressed a special interest in understanding the structures of the Liga Iberdrola clubs, for which Pablo Mantilla, director of the Valencia Foundation, and Marina Gassent, coordinator of the women’s section of Valencia CF were also present in the meeting.”

She also disclosed that the agreement, signed in February, outlined the intention of promoting women’s football in both countries through the exchange of marketing intelligence and strategies and the implementation of actions devised to boost visibility and awareness.

“Another objective is to sensitize women’s access to sports management, as well as drive greater cooperation in the development and implementation of corporate social responsibility actions that promote gender equality and the integration of women not only in football, but also in other sports.

“The signing of this agreement reflects both institutions’ commitment to maintaining the sustainable development and growth of women’s football both in Spain and in Nigeria,” she added.