The 2024 edition of the 5Stars Premier League, a rapidly growing grassroots football initiative in Nigeria, is set to kick off on June 15th with a record 64 teams from four regions across the country vying for honours.
The sixth season of the pioneering 5-a-side league, will feature teams battling it out in Abuja, Lagos, Benin and Kaduna over the course of four months until the finals on October 12th, 2024.
At an unveiling event held over the weekend at Transcorp Hilton in Abuja, the 16 teams from the capital region were officially presented ahead of the tournament’s opening day in two weeks.
“This is the sixth edition and we are proud to say that we have done a lot in grassroots football in Nigeria as we have expanded our shores to Kaduna and Benin from previous expansions to Delta, Ibadan, Abuja and Lagos,” said Olumide Aturu, Coordinator of the 5Stars Premier League.
“The 5-a-side initiative is getting bigger and better. We have had over 12 successful transfers where players move to other countries to live their dreams.
That is what we stand for – we believe this initiative can spark others and help Nigeria as a country, even helping our GDP to grow.”
In its quest to elevate the profile of grassroots talent, the league has partnered with Sofascore this year to improve data tracking of players. It has also appointed social media influencer Ibrahim Bakare, known as Ibroking, as its brand ambassador.
The Nationwide Football League (NLO), which provides technical oversight for the 5Stars Premier League, is optimistic about an even more successful season compared to previous years.
“They have been doing so much and have always improved from the previous seasons. So we believe this year will be better than previous seasons. I am happy they have recorded this much and we want to see them grow bigger than this,” said Olusola Ogunowo, NLO Chief Operating Officer.
With an expanded national footprint and growing momentum, the 2024 5Stars Premier League is primed to further its impact on nurturing grassroots football talents across Nigeria.
