By Taiwo Sportivation Ibrahim
The Organizers of the Nigeria Pitch Awards have announced plans for the 10th edition of the award ceremony, Sportivationng.com reports.
The prestigious awards event which is known for its integrity, credibility and transparency started in 2013 and has grown in leaps and bounds, while also drawing praises from footballers, coaches, journalists and administrators.
President of the Nigeria Pitch Awards,Shina Philips expressed his gratitude to the collage of voters, which is made up of Sports Editors, Sports Journalists across Nigeria.
In a Press Conference held in Lagos on Tuesday, Phillips reserved special praises for the collage of voters for their continued support since the awards began in 2013.
“We express our gratitude to the distinguished and exceptional editors and journalists for standing by the Nigeria Pitch Awards for the past ten years. None of the successes we have recorded would have been possible without the support of God, the Nigeria Football Federation and the Sport Journalists.
“It is to your credit that in the last 10 years, after 480 nominations and over 170 winners, there has been no controversial award decision. The Nigeria Pitch awards owe this feat to you, our voters and our independent vote collating body- SIAO Partners”.
“Since the maiden edition in 2013, we have given out over 170 awards to deserving players and officials at award ceremonies held in Calabar, Kaduna, Uyo, Port Harcourt, Asaba, Lagos and Abuja.
“The awards platform has created opportunities for footballers, football administrators, managers/coaches, referees, journalists and other critical stakeholders to get recognition and honour for their talent, hard work and commitment to the development of the beautiful game.
Phillips also revealed that there will be a symposium which will aim to discuss the future of Nigerian football as part of the plans set aside for the historic 10th edition of the Nigeria Pitch Awards.
“We are going to announce some of the big initiatives we are adding to the Award Ceremony with time” Phillips said. “I say big thank you to our independent vote collating and partners, SIAO, and the Nigeria Football Federation and also college of voters for standing by us over the years”.
The voting for the awards will begin on 4th December 2023 and end on 12th January 2024.
The Award Ceremony is expected to hold in March 2024 during the International break.
Meanwhile, The organizers of the Nigeria Pitch Awards have adopted a new name “Lender Consult International” after years of operating as Matchmakers Consult International.