Nigeria Pitch Awards to honour football legends at historic 11th edition

The Nigeria Pitch Awards is set to celebrate its 11th edition, with organizers unveiling plans to honour Nigerian football legends and recognize outstanding contributions to the sport.

Shina Philips, President of the Nigeria Pitch Awards, announced that all arrangements, including an Awards Conference, have been finalised.

“We have lined up a schedule of exciting events to make the 11th edition of the Nigeria Pitch Awards a historic success,” Philips stated. He revealed that voting by sports editors from all 36 states will commence on Monday, November 25, 2024, and close on Sunday, January 5, 2025.

Vote collation will be handled by SIAO Partners, Nigeria’s foremost indigenous accounting and auditing firm, which has served as the awards’ independent vote collation body for over a decade. Nominees will be announced during a press conference in Lagos on January 12, 2025.

The ceremony will be preceded by an Awards Conference featuring global guests and speakers. Themed “A Viable Football Ecosystem as Catalyst for Economic Prosperity in Nigeria,” the conference aims to foster discussions on leveraging football for national economic development.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will serve as the Special Guest of Honour, with other dignitaries including Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, FIFA Executive Committee member Amaju Pinnick, National Sports Commission Chairman Alhaji Shehu Dikko, football managers, journalists, and renowned players expected to attend.

Lenders Consult International, renowned for its consistent support of Nigerian football, continues to play a pivotal role in capacity-building efforts. The firm notably organized the first FIFA/NFF Players’ Agents Workshop in Lagos in 2011, attracting over 100 football agents and top FIFA representatives.

Shina Philips expressed gratitude to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), sports editors, and journalists for their unwavering support since the awards’ inception in 2012. He reaffirmed the organizers’ dedication to advancing Nigerian football and sports in general.

The Nigeria Pitch Awards, endorsed by the NFF in 2012, will host its 11th Awards Ceremony in March 2025.