… He identifies sponsorship shortfall as major obstacle to development, players’ welfare

The Kano State Football Association (KSFA) has more than 5,000 registered football clubs across the state, but inadequate sponsorship remains a major obstacle to improving players’ welfare and sustaining grassroots football development, its chairman, Alhaji Sharif Rabiu Inuwa Ahlan, has said.

Ahlan said the association had made significant progress in restructuring football competitions and expanding league activities across Kano’s 44 local government areas, but stressed that more financial support was needed to translate the state’s large football base into a steady supply of talented players for professional clubs.

Speaking in an interview on football development in Kano State, the FA chairman said the state’s passion for the game, extensive network of clubs and organised local league structure placed it among Nigeria’s leading football centres.

He argued that Kano’s football followership was second to none in the country, with Lagos being the only state that could come close in terms of the size and enthusiasm of its supporters.

According to him, the association’s priority is to strengthen football infrastructure, improve the organisation of local competitions and identify talented players who can progress from grassroots football to higher levels of the game.

“The most important thing in Kano is restructuring sports infrastructure and the leagues. You will agree with me that perhaps Lagos can come close to Kano in terms of football followership. Football followership in Kano is second to none in Nigeria,” Ahlan said.

He maintained that Kano’s football development potential was reflected in the number of registered clubs operating across the state, noting that the association had established a league structure designed to provide regular competition for teams at different levels.

“You cannot compare Kano State with any other state in Nigeria because, in the Kano State Football Association, we have more than 5,000 football clubs registered across the state,” he said.

Allan explained that the association organised the Kano State Premier League, League One and League Two, alongside competitions covering communities across the state’s 44 local government areas.

He said the structure was intended to give clubs and players opportunities to compete regularly, while enabling the association to identify promising footballers capable of progressing to professional football.

According to him, Kano’s extensive grassroots football network and the organisation of its leagues had helped the state make considerable progress in football development.

He claimed that the state’s league programme was among the most extensive in the country, adding that its current level of organisation demonstrated the association’s commitment to developing the game beyond the traditional focus on top-flight football.

However, Ahlan acknowledged that the lack of adequate sponsorship had continued to limit the impact of the league structure, particularly in improving the welfare of participating teams and retaining talented players.

He said the association needed more corporate and private-sector support to strengthen the competitions, provide better conditions for clubs and ensure that promising players could develop their abilities without being forced to seek opportunities elsewhere too early.

“Our challenge is sponsorship. We do not have enough sponsors to improve the welfare of our teams,” he said.

The FA chairman linked the funding shortfall to concerns about the availability and retention of talented players emerging from Kano’s local leagues.

He observed that the state had the population, football culture and grassroots structure to produce more outstanding players, but inadequate resources had made it difficult to maximise that potential.

Allan said the situation was particularly concerning because Kano had historically been a major source of football talent for clubs across Nigeria.

He suggested that improved sponsorship and better support for grassroots teams would help the state retain more of its emerging players and strengthen its contribution to the national game.

The chairman said the association was continuing to work towards identifying naturally gifted players and providing them with opportunities to develop through organised competitions.

“In terms of development, we are doing our best to ensure that we improve our league and identify the naturally talented players that Almighty Allah has blessed us with,” he said.

Ahlan comments highlight the challenge facing football development in a state where widespread public interest in the game and a large network of clubs have not automatically translated into the financial resources needed to support grassroots competitions.

While the number of registered clubs provides a substantial base for talent identification, sustaining that network requires funding for league administration, team operations and players’ welfare.

Without stronger financial backing, clubs may struggle to provide the conditions necessary for young footballers to develop consistently, while talented players may look beyond the state for better opportunities.

Ahlan said Kano had nevertheless made progress in organising its domestic competitions, noting that the state league had reached its ninth week at the time of the interview.

He pointed to the timing of the competition as evidence that the association was working to maintain a structured league calendar comparable, in terms of the stage reached, with the national top-flight competition.

“We have gone far in our state league because we are in week nine, just like the national Premier League,” he said.

The chairman expressed confidence that continued improvements to the league system would help the association identify and nurture more players, provided the competitions received the financial support required to operate effectively.

For Kano, he said, the priority was not simply to maintain its reputation as one of Nigeria’s strongest football-following states, but to turn that enthusiasm into sustainable development through organised competitions and better opportunities for local players.

Ahlan’s appeal for sponsorship places the responsibility for the next phase of development partly on corporate organisations and private investors, whose support could help clubs improve their operations and give young footballers a clearer pathway from grassroots competitions to professional football.

He maintained that the association would continue its efforts to strengthen the league system and discover talent across the state, despite the financial constraints.

With more than 5,000 registered clubs and competitions spread across all 44 local government areas, Kano possesses a substantial grassroots football base. The challenge, as Allan acknowledged, is securing the resources to ensure that the structure produces its full potential in players, stronger clubs and sustained development.