Sportsville Awards Eyes Major Expansion After Media Icons Africa Deal

The organisers of the Sportsville Special Recognition Awards have appointed Media Icons Africa Limited as the official marketing consultants for the annual sports awards ceremony.

The partnership was formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the Chief Executive Officers of Sportsville Communication Services Limited, Frank Ilaboya, and Media Icons Africa Limited, John Upah.

Under the agreement, Media Icons Africa will oversee the marketing of the awards, beginning with the seventh edition scheduled for the first quarter of 2027.

Announcing the partnership, Ilaboya described the appointment as a major milestone in the organisers’ efforts to broaden the reach of the awards and enhance their commercial sustainability.

He said the Sportsville Special Recognition Awards had spent the past six years establishing a reputation for credibility and excellence within the Nigerian sports industry.

“We believe the time is right to make the awards financially viable after years of building a trusted brand. The positive feedback from stakeholders has been overwhelming, and partnering with Media Icons Africa strengthens our ambition to make the Sportsville Awards the leading sports honours in Nigeria and across Sub-Saharan Africa,” Ilaboya said.

Media Icons Africa Chief Executive Officer, John Upah, expressed delight at the opportunity to market what he described as one of Nigeria’s most respected sports awards.

He said the company had monitored the growth of the awards over the years and was impressed by their credibility and the calibre of past recipients.

“We are excited to be part of the Sportsville Special Recognition Awards. Our experience in media and sports marketing positions us well to deliver a successful 2027 edition. We are ready to deploy more than three decades of industry expertise to take the awards to greater heights,” Upah said.

The Sportsville Special Recognition Awards were established in 2020 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Sportsville Communication Services Limited.

Led by veteran sports administrator Frank Ilaboya, Sportsville has grown into one of Africa’s longest-running independent sports production companies, with its flagship programme currently broadcast on more than 15 television stations across Nigeria.