Officiating/Introduction of technology
There is no doubt that officiating plays a major role on how the league will be rated. The NFF has done well through the Confederation of African Football, CAF in training the referees. The bad eggs are the ones giving the league a bad name hence the need for the NPFL to be more interested in the quality and integrity of referees officiating matches.

Secondly, as the NPFL is sourcing for sponsors for the league, they should also have the refereeing body in mind, so that they can be independent like what we have in the EPL. And once there is sponsor for the referees, the next thing is to introduce advanced technology like the communication gadgets, Video Assistant Referees, VAR machines, and the men and women should be well-remunerated so that they don’t get influenced by desperate clubsides especially those who want to win the league, play continental football or avoid relegation.

Transfer of players
One of the reasons why Nigerian teams don’t do well in CHAN, Champions League, CAF Cup and other tournaments is because the quality players disappear before the end of the seasons hence making the teams to be depleted before the aforementioned tournaments. As much as we don’t support stopping any player from seeking greener pastures outside the shore of this country, it must be done properly. The NPFL should be involved fully and any club found guilty of sneaking out players should be sanctioned. The Brazilian Government through her Football Federation and League body are always interested in the moves of their players. Apart from the money that accrues to them, they are also interested in the well-being of the players, and that of the league and country. They are interested in where their players are going so that they can easily monitor them for future purposes.

Research shows that they don’t approve of their players going to obscure leagues hence majority of them are always heading to top leagues in the world like La Liga, EPL, Portuguese league, etc.

Merchandise
One of the reasons why the majority of Nigerians patronize foreign leagues ahead of the Nigerian League is because of access to merchandise like replica kits (jerseys), footballs, scarves, hats, mugs, stationery, and other accessories bearing the team’s logo and colors. In other countries, these items are sold through official club stores and sports retailers including online shopping to allow fans to show their support for their favourite teams.

We feel embarrassed whenever we travel and were asked where they could get Nigerian jerseys let alone Enyimba of Aba and others. Even in Nigeria, one cannot get those merchandise let alone outside the country but it is the opposite with foreign clubs and countries.

Transfer Market
It is obvious that we are not interested in the business aspect of the game of football yet. The managers of the clubs are more interested in sneaking out players through the backdoor, collecting peanuts as transfer fees, so that their sponsors especially the state governors don’t know what they are making from sale of players in order not to affect their monthly budgetary allocations.

There is no crime in copying, you can even do better than those you are copying from. The NPFL should as a matter of policy introduce transfer market just like it is done in other leagues where they will have opening and closing days. The media should be involved so that they can report the transfers that take place on a daily basis. The NPFL can pay a visit to the EPL and see how it is done, it is interesting and the whole world will be following to know who is moving to wherever rather than the old ways of transferring players through the backdoor. The Nigerian League is too big for such.

Attraction for Spectators
Another way to attract spectators to the league is to introduce something that will force them to the stadium. The league body can engage the betting companies, or others and introduce balloting after the first half where people will have opportunities to win table fridge, clock, iron and others with their gate ticket. They can also entertain the spectators with good music, amongst others. Those are the things that can attract spectators which in turn will attract sponsors.

Attracting of ageing/retiring players
Another attraction could be the embracement of retiring Nigerian or foreign players into the league. The likes of late Rashidi Yekini, Daniel Amokachi, Brown Ideye, Ahmed Musa, just to mention a few played in the league during their retirement but they were not treated well. Those guys deserve respect and if they are well treated, others would return to help the league.

Most South American players especially Brazilians love to return to their childhood clubs to end their careers. There must be something they are doing for the players to retire in their leagues, the NPFL can carry out an investigation, so as to introduce it back home. Imagine, the likes of Okocha, Osihmen, returning to end their careers at Warri Wolves, Bendel Insurance, do you know the kinds of crowd that would envelope the stadium?

Timing of matches
One of the ways to also attract followership is the change of timing of matches in the NPFL. Most leagues in the world are played in the afternoon between 12.30pm and 9pm. The NPFL can decide to start their matches earlier between 10am and 2pm. And they should always promo their star matches on a weekly basis. For instance, EPL star match this week is the Manchester Derby between City and United, despite the fact that the world cup qualifiers, friendly matches are being played all over the world, the promo is on, and fans are already aware that such match will be played over the weekend.

Incidentally, most Nigerian matches are star matches because they are all tough teams but they are not enjoying the attention they deserve. Star matches can be moved to when smaller clubs are playing in EPL and La Liga, those are the majorly-followed leagues by Nigerians. For instance, if Brentford is playing against Crystal Palace and maybe Etche is playing against Getafe, Enyimba versus Rivers Utd, if it is the star match would definitely enjoy viewership by fans, but if Real Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea, Arsenal, and other top teams are playing, they will definitely settle for the latter. If the matches are well arranged, the NPFL will begin to enjoy gradual acceptance especially when you also introduce something that will make them watch, for instance , something like – watch, predict and win, etc.

Security and hooliganism
Although there are so many things to talk about but for now, these are pressing needs that need urgent attention. The last on this list is the issue of security and hooliganism. If the security is intact, just like we see abroad, where even the old and ageing people are visiting the stadium to relax not where they are not sure of their safety. Hooliganism has given the league very bad names in the past especially when one considers how they were being managed. No one would want to risk taking his family to the stadium when he is not sure of their safety.

The NPFL can introduce match stewards at the stadium to augment the police which are always inadequate because of other engagements outside the stadium.

Another way to tackle insecurity is by ensuring that all clubs install Closed-Circuit Television, CCTV cameras in their stadium to capture the activities there especially those who want to misbehave. A drone can also be introduced, it gives good shots of matches and also supports the CCTV cameras at the venue.

In the past, people lost their valuables to hooligans, thieves just because they want to go and watch and support their team. People with such experience will rather stay in the comfort of their homes and watch even though they love to visit recreational venues. Although the present NPFL board is trying, more efforts should be put in place to end hooliganism in the league. One of the best ways, is to banish the fans involved, relocate the team, deduct their points and ensure they pay heavy fines for disruption and damages. If the aforementioned and others are introduced, the club managers will ensure such do not happen in their homes because the actions may lead to the team being relegated.