Falode Sounds Stern Warning As 2020-21 NWFL Premiership Gets Tentative Start Date

Chairperson of the Nigeria Women Football League Aisha Falode has reiterated her resolve to ensure clubs completely adhere with all Covid-19 protocols, Club and Players Licensing, Medicals and Insurance ahead of the start of 2020-21 NWFL Premiership which has been set, tentatively for Wednesday, 9 December, 2020.

The 2019-20 NWFL Premiership season was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic but the Federal Government recently lifted restrictions on contact sports paving the way for the return of football.

The Nigeria Football Federation set the weekend of 15 November for kick off of the men’s top division and directed other leagues to schedule their starts thereafter.

The NWFL said the 9 December kick off date for the women’s topflight will be subject to NFF ratification.

Speaking during an event to reveal the fixture lists for the new season at the new NWFL Secretariat in Abuja on Wednesday, Falode said all relevant documentation for the new season has been sent to all sixteen participating clubs and warned that failure to meet up with the obligations and conditions will attract stiff sanctions.

“Any club that fails to meet these conditions will be sanctioned,” she said.

The 2020-21 NWFL Premiership is scheduled to run for thirty weeks and will feature a mid season two-week break after Week 15.

The new season will see the competition do away with the two group format where teams are divided into two pools of eight along geographic zones.

Instead, for the first time in three seasons, the competition will revert to a straight league format with round-robin fixtures involving all the sixteen clubs.

This means there would be no “Super 4” playoffs to determine the league champions with the winners decided by league placement after thirty games.

The 2020-21 NWFL Premiership will also provide Nigeria’s representatives for the newly instituted CAF Women’s Champions League which kicks off next year.

The fixture between former league champions and 2019 AITEO Cup winners Nasarawa Amazons and FC Robo of Lagos, at the Lafia Township Stadium, Nasarawa has been picked as the official opening game for the 2020/2021 Premiership season.

Defending champions, Rivers Angels visit Adamawa Queens, DreamStars Ladies will be at home to Delta Queens.

Sunshine Queens take on Heartland Queens, Edo Queens will play newcomers Royal Queens while Abia Angels face Osun Babes in Umuahia.

2017-2018 champions Bayelsa Queens begin their campaign at home to Pelican Stars and Confluence Queens host Ibom Angels on opening day.

2020/2021 NWFL Premiership Matchday One Fixtures

Nasarawa Amazons Vs FC Robo Queens

Adamawa Queens Vs Rivers Angels

Confluence Queens Vs Ibom Angels

Dreams Stars Ladies Vs Delta Queens

Bayelsa Queens Vs Pelican Stars

Edo Queens Vs Royal Queens

Abia Angels Vs Osun Babes

Sunshine Queens Vs Heartland Queens