Super Falcons: Striving for financial fairness

Nigeria’s players pose for a team photo during the Australia and New Zealand 2023 Women’s World Cup round of 16 football match between England and Nigeria at Brisbane Stadium in Brisbane on August 7, 2023. (Photo by Patrick Hamilton / AFP)

Nigeria is a country with a rich football history and culture. While the focus has often been on men’s football, the women’s game in Nigeria is emerging with incredible talent and potential.

The national women’s football team, the Super Falcons, have been the dominant force in African national team football, winning 11 of 13 championships. Despite the domination, the Super Falcons are underfunded, threatening their continued success.

The Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) has allocated only a fraction of its budget to the women’s game, leading to insufficient training, development, and infrastructure resources. However, with the proper support and investment, there are opportunities for the sport to grow and thrive.

Women’s football in Nigeria faces many challenges that hinder its development, but the most significant issue is funding. The Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) has allocated only a fraction of its budget to the women’s game, leading to insufficient training, development, and infrastructure resources. Super Falcon’s striker Ifeoma Onumonu opened up about the team’s conditions after the loss to England.

In August, NFF stated that it does not have the money to pay the Super Falcons’ 2019 allowances. NFF President Ibrahim Gusau said that no funding was released for participation in the tournament but that FIFA provided $960,000 to all 32 qualified countries as preparation money.

He added that the NFF usually gets funded by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and FIFA but