Organizers announce March 23 for Nigeria Pitch Awards

The annual, showpiece Nigeria Pitch Awards, which is endorsed by the Nigeria Football Federation, will take place in the city of Kaduna on Wednesday, 23rd March, 2016.

Shina Phillips, Chief Executive Officer of Matchmakers Consult International, organizers of the Nigeria Pitch Awards, said on Monday that the event will come up hours after the Nigeria, Egypt 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match taking place same day at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium.

“We want to assure that voting for the prestigious Nigeria Pitch Awards would begin before the Christmas break, and that all other necessary arrangements have been put in place to ensure that the Awards process and everything around it remains transparent and credible, as always.

“We have waited this long to ensure that the domestic League season was concluded, in order for voters to have enough time to assess all the players fairly and equally.”

General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, expressed the NFF’s continued support for the awards, saying that the Federation was satisfied with the organization of previous editions of the Nigeria Pitch Awards and that the Awards have been motivating Nigerian players to better performances around the globe.

“The NFF will continue to support the Nigeria Pitch Awards, as we have done from the beginning, because we are convinced of the transparency and credibility of the Awards process. Transparency and credibility are very important virtues in our lives and must be cherished,” Sanusi stated.

Also speaking on the Awards process, Pastor Ituah Ighodalo, Managing Partner of SIAO – the body charged with collating and verifying the votes, confirmed that voting will begin next week and would last for one month.

NFF GS, Dr. Sanusi, speaking at last edition of the event photo credit then.com

Ighodalo confirmed that the organizers are already reaching out to all voters across the country to ensure that they returned their forms early enough for the names of the nominees to be announced by the end of January 2016.

“We have immense confidence in the process that we have put in place. This will maintain the Awards’ transparency and credibility, virtues for which SIAO Partners are widely reputed for.”

The first edition of the Nigeria Pitch Awards took place at the Metropolitan Hotel in Calabar in November 2013, while the second edition was held in Kaduna in June 2015.

NTA, Top Auditing Firm Team Up With Nigeria Pitch Awards…Night of Stars Slated For November 19

The second edition of the Nigeria Pitch Awards is gaining good momentum with the Nigeria Television Authority and leading auditing firm, SIAO coming on board to establish partnership with organisers, Matchmakers Consult International Limited.

In its second edition, the Nigeria Pitch Awards was inaugurated last year in Calabar, with Governor Liyel Imoke of Cross River State and Super Eagles’ skipper Vincent Enyeama among the attendees. Award winners included Governor Imoke, NFF President Alhaji Aminu Maigari, Enyeama, Mikel Obi and Guinness Nigeria PLC.

Already, Matchmakers Consult International Limited has fixed the world press conference heralding this year’s event for Wednesday, 8th October in Lagos, while the glamour show nicknamed Night of Stars will take place on the night of Wednesday, November 19 – hours after the Super Eagles would have hosted South Africa’s Bafana Bafana on the final day of qualifying series for 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.

Speaking in Abuja on Wednesday, MD/CEO of Matchmakers, Mr. Shina Philips assured that the partnerships have buoyed the preparations for the second edition.

“The agreements we have been able to strike with the very important Nigeria Television Authority and leading auditing firm, SIAO serve as tonic to foray deeper into Corporate Nigeria and solicit for greater support for this year’s edition of the Pitch Awards.

“The Nigeria Football Federation is fully aware of every step we are taking and we will leave no stone unturned to put up a much bigger show than we did last year.”

SIAO, owned by renowned preacher, Pastor Ituah Ighodalo, has come on board to give the collation process even more credibility, which Philips insists is key to the success of the event.

“We have always set much store by credibility and transparency. The NFF has told us to ensure the best standards and best practices are employed along the way, and that is non –negotiable.

“The Nigeria Pitch Awards serves to recognize stellar performances and achievements that are extra-ordinary, and in so doing draw to those achievers and performers the kind of attention and esteem that other actors and actresses on the field crave so much. We reward excellence in all departments of the football pitch, as well as other sectors directly or remotely connected to the game’s development.”