Players
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Naija Ratels Football Club is a Nigerian women's football club based in Abuja and a member of the NWFL Premiership since 2021 after gaining promotion from the NWFL Championship.
| Founded | 2019 |
|---|---|
| Ground | Aguiyi Ironsi Pitch FIFA Goal Project Pitch |
| Owner | Paul Edeh [1] |
| Chairman | Eneh Alison [2] |
| Manager | Bankole Olowookore |
| League | NWFL Premiership |
| 2023–24 | 5th, Group A |
The club was founded in 2019 by Paul Edeh, a barrister who equally owns Ratels Foundations and a second team, Honey Badgers. They participated in the 2020–21 NWFL Championship after acquiring the Invincible Angels slot and originally played from Gboko, Benue State. [3] In 2021, they won promotion to the NWFL Premiership and quickly made new signings, including the legendary Onome Ebi after a season in the top-flight. [4] [5]
Naija Ratels reached their first major final in the 2024 Nigeria Women's Cup, losing 1–0 to Rivers Angels. [6]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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The Nigeria women's national football team, nicknamed the Super Falcons, represents Nigeria in international women's football and is controlled by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). The team is Africa's most successful international women's football team, having won a record eleven Women's Africa Cup of Nations titles; their most recent title in 2018, after defeating South Africa in the final. The team is also the only women's national team from the Confederation of African Football to have reached the quarterfinals in both the FIFA Women's World Cup and the Summer Olympics.
The NWFL Premiership (formerly Nigeria Women Premier League) is the top-level league for women's association football in Nigeria. It is the women's equivalent of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) for male players. The Nigeria Women Football League(NWFL) organizes the Nigeria Women Premier League and the Nigeria Women Pro-league. In November 2017, Aisha Falode was elected chairperson of the league board, and was officially designated in January 2017.
Onome Ebi is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Nigerian club Abia Angels and the Nigeria women's national team. In 2023 she became the first African footballer, male or female, to play in 6 FIFA World Cup tournaments.
Rivers Angels F.C. is a Nigerian professional football club based in Port Harcourt, Rivers State in Nigeria. They play in the Nigeria Women Premier League, the top flight in the national female soccer league pyramid.
Sunshine Queens FC is a women's association football club in Nigeria. They play in the topmost division of female football in the NWFL Premiership. Their home stadium is Akure Township Stadium. The club is one of the running football activities of Ondo State Football Agency.
Bayelsa Queens is a women football club based in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Nigeria. They play in the top tier of the women's football league pyramid in Nigeria. They have won the NWFL Premiership five times and finished runners-up on four occasions.
Ukpong Esther Sunday is a Nigerian footballer, who plays for OKS Stomil Olsztyn and has also played for the Nigeria women's national football team.
Osun Babes F.C. is a football club based in Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria. It was founded in 1995 under the military rule of Anthony Udofia. They participate in the elite division of female football league system in Nigeria. In 2016, the government denied any plan of selling the club to private investors.
The 2017 Nigeria Women Premier League began on March 25, 2017. The date was fixed during the congress for women football league system in Nigeria on February 22, 2017, in Abuja, which had the Minister for Sports, Solomon Dalung in attendance. Martin White Doves, Tokas Queens, Capital City Doves and Taraba Queens were relegated from the previous season. Heartland Queens of Owerri and Sadaatu Kolo Amazons of Niger State were promoted to the elite division. Rofiat Sule, the top scorer of the last two seasons and Evelyn Nwabuoku, captain of the national team amongst others were signed by Rivers Angels F.C. In March 2017, previously relegated Capital City Doves were re-added to the league, increasing the number of teams to seventeen. On 24 March, COD United Amazons F.C. and Capital City Doves were confirmed to be excluded from the league after failing to meet the registration deadline. This reduced the number of teams to fifteen.
The Nigeria Women's Super Cup, otherwise known as NWFL Champions Shield is an annual game, featuring the teams that won the Aiteo Cup and the Nigeria Women Premier League in the previous season. The first edition was contested on March 4, 2018 between Nasarawa Amazons and Rivers Angels at Agege Stadium, Lagos. The game also signals the curtain opener for the new football season.
The 2018 Nigeria Women Premier League began on April 7 in a game featuring defending champions Nasarawa Amazons from Nasarawa State and FC Robo of Lagos State. The date was decided following a congress held in Ikeja on March 3. Prior to the game, a maiden super cup named the NWFL Champions Shield match was played between Aiteo Cup winners, Rivers Angels and Nasarawa Amazons to officially open the new season. At the end of the 2017 season, Sure Babes of Ilorin, Jokodolu Babes of Ogbomosho and Taraba Queens of Taraba State were promoted to compete in the elite division pending registration procedures, while Saadatu Amazons of Minna and Heartland Queens of Owerri were relegated to the pro league. In May 2018, the league went on a mid-season break due to the 2018 FIFA World Cup, this was further elongated after an emerging NFF leadership crisis. In August 2018, it was announced that the remaining games of the league will commence September 12.
The 2019 Nigeria Women Premier League began July 24, 2019. The league was earlier scheduled to start in February, but due to logistic reasons and commencement of other competitions, it was postponed to March, May then later July. Prior to the start of the league, a congress was held in Abuja on June 27, with representatives from Nigeria Football Federation. Due to failure of some teams to pay their indemnities, the agreed date at the congress was shifted from July 17 to July 24.
DreamStar FC Ladies is a women's association football club based in Surulere Lagos State, Nigeria, and a member of the Nigerian Women Football League ( NWFL). They have competed in the Nigeria Women Premier League, which is the highest division for women association football in Nigeria, since the 2018–2019 season, having gained promotion to the elite league by winning all their lower division matches.
Edo Queens is a Nigerian women's football club based in Edo State, in southern Nigeria. They play in the top women's football league in Nigeria, the NWFL Premiership.
Gift Nyakno Monday is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Spanish Liga F club UD Tenerife and the Nigeria women's national team.
Sheroes Cup is an annual preseason tournament for women's association football teams in Africa. The competition usually feature elite teams from Nigeria Women Premier League, as well as neighboring African countries and is supported by the Nigeria Football Federation and Nigerian Women Football League. Since the first edition in 2019, it has been described as the biggest preseason tournament for women club football in Nigeria.
The 2021–22 NWFL Premiership was the 32nd season of the NWFL Premiership, Nigeria's top-flight women's association football league and the second season since its rebranding. The season commenced on 8 December 2021 and ended May 2022.
The 2023–24 NWFL Premiership was the 34th season of the women's football top-level league in Nigeria. The season commenced on 14 November 2023 and completed with the Super Six on 26 May 2024. Edo Queens won their first title after finishing top of the Super Six table.
The 2024 Nigeria Women's Cup known officially as the 2024 Women's President Federation Cup was the 28th edition of the main knockout tournament for women's football in Nigeria, the Nigeria Women's Cup.
