The Nigeria National League (NNL), the second-tier of Nigerian league football will commence its 2022/2023 season on Friday, 3rd March 2023.
This decision was reached at the 12th Annual General Meeting of the league, which was held in the nation’s capital, Abuja on Friday.
The AGA was declared open by the President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau, ably represented by the General Secretary, Dr.Sanusi Mohammed. After all the formalities were concluded, the clubs unanimously agreed Friday, 3rd March 2023 as the kick-off date for the 2022/2023 Nigeria National League season.
In addition, a super-abridged league format of eight groups will be employed this season. This will see the Northern and Southern conferences broken into four groups: A1, A2, A3, A4, and B1, B2, B3, B4 respectively.
In addition, teams will be grouped based on proximity as agreed upon by the AGM in other to ensure the league ends by May 2023 as mandated by the NFF.
The Assembly also agreed that all clubs must allow streaming of matches (home and away) without hindrance to enhance the awareness and visibility of the second-tier league.
In a bid to combat issues of match officials assault and crowd disturbances in the league, the Assembly agreed that any club with two records of assault on match officials in a season, either home or away, would be withdrawn from the league.
Furthermore, the AGA also agreed that three points and three goals should be deducted from the cumulative points of any club that assaults match officials or cause any form of violence in a match during the season.
46 clubs jostled for the four available Nigeria Premier Football League promotion tickets last season with Bendel Insurance emerging as champions in the Super Four at the expense of Elkanemi Warriors, Doma United and Bayelsa United.
