Shina Philips, President of the Nigeria Pitch Awards fielding questions at the Luncheon
Organisers of the Nigeria Pitch Awards, the platform which recognise excellence in football have disclosed plans for the 12th edition during a luncheon in Lagos.
The awards established in 2012 which pride itself as a credible and transparent platform has continued to reward outstanding players, administrators, media, facilities and other components of the beautiful game.
Speaking at the luncheon to appreciate partners, stakeholders, media and college of voters, President of the Nigeria Pitch Awards Shina Philips expressed his gratitude for their steadfastness in the journey of recognising deserving actors as they strive to elevate Nigerian football to an enviable heights.
“The journey to the 12th edition of the awards” according to him, “is the story of the determination of all stakeholders to establish and sustain a reward platform for our footballers, administrators, football lovers and supporters. Indeed, without undermining the quality of the challenges we have all faced in this journey, this has been a module of resilience, dedication and patriotism. We have among us editors who have been present in almost all our engagements since 2012.”
He further added that the Rashidi Yekini Award for the top scorer will be reintroduce.
Voting is expected to begin on October 29 and end on Tuesday November 18 this year while the SIAO Partners who are responsible for authentication, will collate and process the votes.
He emphasised that the vision of the awards will be re-elevated with the Annual Sports Conference which is being introduced to serve as a precursor to this year’s awards.
“We are pleased to announce our annual Sports Conference. This has been in the works for a long time. The conference which will precede the Award Ceremony, will attract local and international speakers. Our vision” he continued, ” is to make the gathering a unique opportunity to renew and re-focus national attention on sports in Nigeria and open up avenues for administrators to harness the opportunities sports provide” he said.
Vice-president of the Awards, Nelson Adefisoye appreciated members of the media for their continued support for the annual event.
Demola Olajire, Director of Communications, Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) who represented the body commended the organisers and the media for being steadfast in adding colour and integrity to the reward system in football.
The awards will take place in Lagos.
Credit: Tayo Ogunseye
