Rivers United FC has remained in the top flight since its first season. In the 2020-2021 CAF Confederation Cup season, Rivers defeated South African opponent Bloemfontein Celtic home and away to set up a highly anticipated matchup against neighbors Enyimba in the final qualifying round for a spot in the group stage. They lost the tie on penalties after a 1–1 aggregate scoreline[5]
History
Rivers United was founded in 2016 after the Rivers state government got permission to merge Dolphins FC and Sharks FC. Both clubs were run by the state government and were experiencing financial difficulty.[6] Sharks were relegated to the First Division in 2015 while Dolphins had barely escaped relegation after drawing their final match.[7] Rivers United's crest contains both a shark and a dolphin as a result of the merge.[8]
Stanley Eguma was appointed coach and led them to a win in their first league match, 1–0 over Enyimba.[9]
The club finished second in the 2016 Nigerian Premier League which qualified them for the 2017 CAF Champions League for the first time.[10] A four-goal second-leg win over Mali's AS Bamako with Esosa Igbinoba and Bernard Ovoke each scoring a brace put Rivers past the preliminary round.[11] However, they were eliminated by Sudan's Al-Merrikh 4–3 on aggregate in the first round after losing a 3–0 first round lead.[12]
Rivers United ended the season with 77 points, breaking the league record of 73 points in a season.[14][15]
The 2021–22 Nigeria Professional Football League title is their first league title since the merger between Dolphins and Sharks FC of Port Harcourt in 2016.[16] It is also the first NPFL title by a Rivers-based side since the Dolphins won in 2011.[17][18]
Rivers United won 23 games, drew 8, and lost 7 of their 38 league games as they claimed the 2021-22 league title with 10 points ahead of their closest rivals, Plateau United.[19][20][21]
Rivers united players and officials were awarded $20,000 each by the Rivers state government for their league triumph in 2022 and were promised another US$40,000 if they qualify for the 2022-2023 Caf champions league group stage.[22][23]
Rivers Angels F.C. (formerly Larry Angels F.C.) is a Nigerian professional football club based in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. They play in the Nigeria Women Premier League, the top flight division in the female soccer league system in Nigeria.
Rangers International Football Club, commonly known as Enugu Rangers, is a Nigerian professional association football team founded in 1970. Based in Enugu, the Rangers play their home games at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium. Enugu Rangers are one of the three oldest clubs in Nigeria, the other two being Bendel Insurance and Kano Pillars, and the only Nigerian club never to have been relegated from the Nigeria Premier League.
Enyimba Football Club, commonly known as Enyimba, is a Nigerian professional football club based in the city of Aba, Abia State which plays in the Nigerian Professional Football League. Their name means People's Elephant in Igbo language and is also the nickname used for the city of Aba. Founded in 1976, the club rose to prominence in the 2000s and is considered the most successful Nigerian football club as they have won two African Champions League titles, nine Nigerian championships and four Federation Cups since 2001. Their most recent league glory came in the 2022–23 season.
The Nigerian Premier Football League (NPFL) is the highest level of club football in Nigerian football league system. The Nigerian Premier League has suffered like many others, from the financial impact and dwindling fortunes since the late 2000s. It is fed into by the Nigeria National League (NNL). It is organized by the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) Board headed by Mr. Gbenga Elegbeleye.
Lobi Stars Football Club is a Nigerian professional soccer club based in Makurdi, Benue. The club competes in the Nigerian Professional Football League. The Stars' home is the 8,000-seater Aper Aku Stadium.
Akwa United Football Club is a Nigerian football club based in Uyo, in Akwa Ibom State. They play in the Nigeria Professional Football League, the first division of Nigerian football. The Godswill Akpabio International Stadium is the club's home stadium. In the 2020/21 season they were crowned champions of the league for the first time in their history.
The 2014 Nigeria Professional Football League was the 43rd season of the competition since its inception, and the 24th since the rebranding of the league as the "Professional League". The season was scheduled to kick off on November 22, about one month after the conclusion of the 2013 season. However, on that date the league's start was postponed to mid-February until after the 2014 African Nations Championship and to allow the teams to complete all their FIFA licensing. It was delayed again until March.
Mfon Udoh is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a forward. He is currently a free agent. He has been described as a complete forward who possesses pace, good positioning, natural finishing as well as the ability to provide assists. He is a "fox in the box" type of player, difficult to stop once in the penalty area. He currently holds the record for highest number of goals scored in the Nigerian Premier Football League in a single season. He is also the first player to score over 35 goals in two consecutive seasons in Nigeria. Between 2012 and 2014, he scored 39 goals in the regular league and 3 in national cup competitions, for a total of 41 goals in two seasons. He was the highest goal scorer in the 2016 CAF champions league with nine goals and was all scored in the group stage of the competition.
The 2015 Nigeria Professional Football League is the 44th season of the Nigeria Premier League, the top Nigerian professional league for association football clubs, since its establishment in 1972, and the 25th since the rebranding of the league as the "Professional League".
Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, on the north end of the city in the Omagwa neighbourhood. The stadium is named after Adokiye Amiesimaka, a former player with Nigeria's national football team who was among the squad that won the 1980 African Cup of Nations, and has been a former chairman of the Sharks Football Club and a former Attorney General of Rivers State. Presently, the stadium has a capacity of 38,000 people.
Joseph Osadiaye is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays for Nigeria Professional Football League outfit, Lobi Stars. He usually plays as a left or right sided winger and he is known for his pace, dribbling skills and accurate left foot shots. Although, predominantly a left-footed player, he is also adept at using his right foot.
Sunday Umaru Ngbede is a professional footballer who plays as a left winger. Ngbede won the Nigeria Professional Football League title with Plateau United during the 2016–17 season.
Ubong Friday is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays for Nigerian Professional Football League club Akwa United and the Nigeria B. He primarily plays as a winger.
Denis Nya is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a central defender for NPFL club, Akwa United.
The 2019–2020 Nigeria Professional Football League was the 49th season of the top-flight division of the Nigerian football league system and the 30th season since its rebranding as the 'Professional League'. The league started on 3 November 2019 but was cancelled in July due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic with no champions and no teams relegated. Enyimba were the defending champions, after winning the Super 6 play-offs the previous season
Abdulrahman Bashir is a Nigerian footballer who plays as a forward for Nigeria Professional Football League club Plateau United
The 2020–21 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) was the 50th season of the top flight league in the Nigeria football league system and the 31st since its rebranding. The league started on 27 December 2020 after much delay and concluded on 5 August 2021.
The 2020–21 season was Akwa United's 25th season in the Nigerian football league system and their 12th (non-consecutive) season in the top tier of Nigerian football.
The 2021–22 Nigeria Professional Football League was the 51st season of Nigeria's top-flight association football league and the 32nd since attaining professionalism. The season started on 17 December 2021 and was concluded on 17 July 2022.
Ayodeji Ayeni is a Nigerian football coach and former player who is currently the head coach of Nigeria Professional Football League club Akwa United.
The 2021–22 season was Akwa United's 26th season in the Nigerian football league system and their 13th (non-consecutive) season in the top tier of Nigerian football.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
