The NWFL Premiership (formerly Nigeria Women Premier League) is the top-level league for women's association football in Nigeria. It is the women's equivalent of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) for male players. The Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL) organizes the Nigeria Women Premier League and the Nigeria Women Pro-league. In November 2017, Aisha Falode was elected chairperson of the league board, and was officially designated in January 2017.
History Women's football in Nigeria started in 1978 with the foundation of the NIFFOA (Nigeria Female Football Organising Association), renamed NIFFPA (Nigeria Female Football Proprietors Associations) in 1979, and joined by clubs like Jegede Babes, Ufuoma Babes, Larry Angels, Kakanfo Babes and others. The first championship was organised by the NFA in 1990. Ufuoma Babes were dominant in the 1990s, before succumbing to Pelican Stars, who won the league between 1997 and 2002. By the 2010s, Rivers Angels became more frequent in the super tournaments, a mini-tournament held annually among the top-placed teams, to determine the overall winner of the league. Despite the high frequency of the abridged format over the years, the 2014 league season saw a straight round-robin season in determining the league winners. However, by 2015, there was a reintroduction of the group system.
Since 2015, the league has enjoyed considerable success and improvement under the auspices of Aisha Falode, and have produced several players for the national team and cadet teams, with more than 70% of players who have been capped for the national team having played in the NWFL. Since 2021, the league winners qualifies for the CAF Women's Champions League.
In the 2024 season, Edo Queens became the newest champions with their debut league win.
Renaming On 5 March 2020, the Nigeria Women Football League, the governing body of professional women's association football in Nigeria, announced the re-branding of the women's league, by unveiling a new logo and renaming the three tiers of the league under the tutelage of the NWFL.
With the rebranding, the Nigeria Women Premier League is now known as the NWFL Premiership, the second-tier league known as NWFL Championship (formerly NWFL Pro-League) while the third-tier division becomes the NWFL Nationwide (formerly NWFL Amateur League).
Format The women's top division league in Nigeria usually follows an abridged format with a super tournament at the end of the season. The top teams in each group (sometimes 1, 2 or 3) will form the super tournament at the end of the regular season to determine the overall winner of the league. The last placed teams are normally relegated to the second division, while promoted teams from the lower division are also admitted into the league. Despite the high frequency of the abridged format over the years, the 2014 league season saw a straight round robin season in determining the league winners, however by 2015, there was a reintroduction of the group system.
Champions The list of champions and runners-ups:
YearChampionsRunners-up 1990 Jegede Babes 1991 Mande River State (River Mermaids) 1992 Ufuoma Babes 1993 Ufuoma Babes 1994 Rivers Angels SC Jegede Babes 1995 Ufuoma Babes Pelican Stars FC 1996 Ufuoma Babes 1997 Pelican Stars FC 1998 Pelican Stars FC 1999 Pelican Stars FC FCT Queens 2000 Pelican Stars FC FCT Queens 2001 Pelican Stars FC FCT Queens 2002 Pelican Stars FC FCT Queens 2003 Delta Queens FC FCT Queens 2004 Bayelsa Queens Pelican Stars FC 2005 Pelican Stars FC Bayelsa Queens 2006 Bayelsa Queens Nasarawa Amazons 2007 Bayelsa Queens Nasarawa Amazons 2008 Delta Queens FC Bayelsa Queens 2009 Delta Queens FC Rivers Angels 2010 Rivers Angels/Pelican Stars 2011 Delta Queens FC River Angels SC 2012 Delta Queens FC River Angels SC 2013 Nasarawa Amazons Rivers Angels 2014 Rivers Angels Pelican Stars FC 2015 Rivers Angels Bayelsa Queens 2016 Rivers Angels Nasarawa Amazons 2017 Nasarawa Amazons Delta Queens 2018 Bayelsa Queens Nasarawa Amazons 2019 Rivers Angels Confluence Queens 2020Not held due to the COVID-19 pandemic2020–21Rivers AngelsDelta Queens2021–22Bayelsa QueensNasarawa Amazons2022–23Delta QueensBayelsa Queens2023–24Edo QueensRivers Angels2024–25Bayelsa QueensNasarawa Amazons2025–26Edo QueensBayelsa Queens
Most successful clubs Club Champions Runners-up Winning seasons Runners-up seasonsPelican Stars FC (Calabar) 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2010 1995, 2004, 2014Rivers Angels SC (Port Harcourt) 1994, 2010, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020–21 2009,2011, 2012,2013, 2023–24Bayelsa Queens (Yenagoa) 2004, 2006, 2007, 2018, 2021–22, 2024–25 2005, 2008, 2015, 2022–23, 2025–26Delta Queens FC (Asaba) 2003, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2022–23 2017, 2020–21Ufuoma Babes (Warri) 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996 Nasarawa Amazons (Nasarawa) 2013, 2017 2006, 2007, 2016, 2018, 2021–22, 2024–25Edo Queens (Benin City) 2023–24, 2025–26Jegede Babes (Lagos) 1990 1995Mande River State (Port Harcourt) 1991
Individual honours Top scorers YearPlayerTeamGoals2013Asisat OshoalaRivers Angels62014Amarachi OrjinmaPelican Stars172015Rofiat SuleBayelsa Queens112016Rofiat SuleBayelsa Queens92017Reuben CharityIbom Angels8Rasheedat AjibadeFC Robo2018Anam ImoNasarawa Amazons82019Anjor MaryBayelsa Queens62020–21Gift MondayFC Robo102021–22Gift MondayBayelsa Queens102022–23Mercy OmokwuDelta Queens92023–24Folashade IjamilusiRobo Queens82024–25Bolaji OlamideRemo Stars Ladies152025–26Uwah AbasiofonDoosuur AtumeRivers AngelsEdo Queens13
Player of the Season YearPlayerTeam2015Emueje Ogbiagbevha (super 6 only)Nasarawa Amazons2016Rofiat SuleBayelsa Queens2017Rasheedat AjibadeFC Robo2018Anam ImoNasarawa Amazons
Notes
See also List of women's football clubs in Nigeria Nigerian Women's Cup Nigeria Women's Super Cup
References
External links
NWFL: Naija Ratels’ Bankole Olowookere bags December ‘Coach of the month award’ via The Informant247 Naija Sport