The biggest Nigerian name in the world of sports kits, AFA Sports is determined to leverage on their current big breakthrough which could see them someday working as the kit partners of the Super Eagles and the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United.
The wholly Nigerian top brand was recently named Nigeria’s official kit partners to the Tokyo Olympics. The rare achievement has set the sports equipment company as the first indigenous African kit partners at the Olympics.
AFA Sports CEO Ugo Udezue who spoke with journalists in their corporate offices in Lagos on Wednesday said the firm has only been able to tap just five percent of the opportunities available to them in the vast global sports market.
He said, “Talking about the Super Eagles, yes we are looking in that direction too. That will be a dream come true to kit not just the Eagles but the likes of Chelsea, Man United and Barcelona someday. It could be possible in the next couple of years as we have started developing our football brands.”
The AFA CEO added that the Nigerian football league is not out of their view despite the low patronage the league is currently getting from the business world.
Ugo, who is a former power forward with the national team D’Tigers made an emotional review of the deal with the Nigerian government to the Olympics and said their tenacity to quality helped them to make history with Team Nigeria.
“We didn’t chase a contract to Abuja,” he explained, “They came to us.
“Unknown to us they had been carrying out detailed research and reports on Nigerian products. I give kudos to the sports minister and the sports ministry as it was their initiative to go with a Nigerian brand but more they were determined to get top quality or go elsewhere.
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“They visited and inspected our products from the assembly line to the finished product. They tested and were highly impressed with the designs, quality and the vision behind AFA Sports. That was how with we got the job.
“What we are doing here today is to lay a solid foundation for future Nigerians. Nothing is achieved fully with just one generation. We are doing our part now and others will continue. The media was not like this, years back in Nigeria but a lot of innovations have come in and it is better for everyone.”
Ugo who hit the Nigerian and African scenes with the entertaining African Basketball League and later the Continental Basketball League added, “We have started well at AFA Sports and we know that it can only get better. This brand is less than four years old. If we can get this far in this short time we are positive that it will be a lot with younger ones coming up ideas. It is a Nigerian dream.”
AFA Sports made their first major hit with the Nigerian basketball teams D’Tigers and D’Tigress. They have continued to expand in different directions as partners with the Nigerian volleyball teams, Ghana’s national basketball teams amongst others.
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COMMENTS
Great news. If Flutterwave, Paystack and other Nigerian brands who are competing well globally can do it, i very much believe AFA can do it as well and give the likes of Nike, Adidas, Reebok and co a run for their money starting with the African market. A friend who is a fashionista and runs a boutique once told me that if he places an Aba sewn TM, H&C, T/Pink shirts and one sewn abroad (UK,china, Vietnam, Bangladesh) side by side that an average person would not be able to discern the difference. He said he now asked the boys (tailors and others) in Aba that if you guys can sew a shirt of this good quality that can compare with the house hold names in the industry that why don’t you just use your own label instead of counterfeiting the
Original known labels. He said that Nigerians will not buy their shirts of same quality, good cuts and fit the same price they will buy the foreign shirt.
There is huge potential in 9ja. We just need that quality leadership to provide a sense of direction and also a changed mentality/orientation from the citizenry as well and Nigeria will take her rightful place amongst the comity of nations.
God bless 9ja
Great news Nice one!