Sports
NUGA Games Preliminaries Begin At UNILAG Today
The preliminaries for the 2013 Nigeria University Games Association (NUGA) Zone F, will begin today at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), according to the event’s coordinator, Mr Owoyemi Idowu.
Idowu told Tidesports that the four-day preliminaries games would be to select the athletes that would represent the zone at the games.
The coordinator said that the 15 events were scheduled to hold at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Ile Ife, Osun, between June 3 and June 17.
Idowu, who is also the badminton coach of the Lagos State University (LASU), said that UNILAG was chosen because it had all the needed facilities for the qualifying series.
According to him, the preliminaries are essential to select the most talented athletes for the zone in the 15 approved events for the games.
“So, the four-day preliminaries at UNILAG will be used to select the best athletes from the zone,” he added.
Idowu said that two universities would qualify for each of the 15 event at the preliminaries to represent the zone at the games.
“It is not an all comers affairs, the preliminaries will be used to select those that will represent the zone in NUGA proper,” he said.
He said that the increase in the number of universities in the country and the need to get the best teams that would represent the various zones for the games proper necessitated the preliminaries.
“Zone F performed well in the last edition at the games held at University of Benin with four gold medals in the group events, and many silver medals in individual events.
“Our plan this time around is to improve on our previous performance at the Ife Games,” he said.
He said that all the universities in Ogun, Lagos and Oyo States were in the zone, adding that some private universities in the zone would also feature in the preliminaries.
The universities are the University of Ibadan, Lagos State University, University of Lagos, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye and Bell University Ota, both in Ogun.
In a statement released by the league, the competition is scheduled to take place from Friday, June 5 to Sunday, June 14, 2026, with six clubs set to battle for the league title at the end of the 2025/26 season.
NWFL Chief Operating Officer, Modupe Shabi, said the choice of Port Harcourt reflects the Rivers State Government’s continued support for women’s football and its successful hosting of the league’s Annual General Assembly last year.
The Super Six tournament will feature the top three teams from Group A and Group B of the regular season competing in a round-robin format, with each club playing five matches over nine days.
Qualified teams for the competition include defending champions Bayelsa Queens, Edo Queens, Rivers Angels, Robo Queens, Nasarawa Amazons, and debutants Abia Angels.
The NWFL Premiership has produced four different winners in the last five editions, with Rivers Angels winning in 2021, Bayelsa Queens claiming the title in 2022 and 2025, Delta Queens triumphing in 2023, and Edo Queens emerging champions in 2024.
The league also urged participating clubs to comply with all competition regulations and directives ahead of the championship. The Super Six will determine Nigeria’s representative for the WAFU-B qualifiers for a place at the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League and ultimately the 2027 FIFA Women’s Champions Cup.
Teams are expected to arrive on Friday, June 5, when the draw ceremony and pre-match meeting will also take place. Matchdays are scheduled for June 6, 8, 10, 12, and 14, with rest days in between before the tournament concludes with the trophy presentation ceremony.
