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Voting for 2025 Awards begins tomorrow By Olamilekan Israel The organisers of the Nigeria Pitch Awards have unveiled plans for a new annual sports conference that will precede the prestigious awards ceremony, signalling a bold step towards repositioning Nigerian sports. The announcement was made by Shina Phillips, President of the Nigeria Pitch Awards, during a special luncheon held at BON Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos. The gathering brought together football stakeholders, partners, sport editors, members of the college of voters and representatives from the Nigerian media. Phillips explained that the initiative aims to expand the vision of the Pitch Awards beyond the mere recognition of football excellence. According to him, the annual sports conference will serve as a platform for renewed national focus on sports, while creating fresh opportunities for administrators, investors and policymakers to collaborate on advancing the sector. “We are pleased to announce our annual sports conference,” Phillips said. “This has been in the works for a long time. “ The conference will attract local and international speakers, providing a unique opportunity to renew and refocus national attention on sports in Nigeria.” He noted that the journey to the 12th Edition of the Nigeria Pitch Awards represents resilience, patriotism and dedication among stakeholders since the initiatives Inception in 2012 as he expressed appreciation to the National Sports Commission(NSC), the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), the Nigerian media, the college of voters, all award nominees and winners for their continuous support over the years. He recalled the awards early promise to offer Nigerians more than just awards, describing the conference as a natural evolution of that vision. Read Also: NFF, Jalla bicker over planned workshop on amendment of statues at Ibadan AGM “At our inaugural press conference in 2012, we promised that the Nigeria Pitch Awards platform would offer Nigerians more than awards. Building on our vision to provide more and improve sports in Nigeria, we are now extending our agenda to the conference,” he added. Meanwhile, voting for the 12th Edition of the Nigeria Pitch Awards is set to begin tomorrow , 29th October 2 even as Phillips reaffirmed confidence in the credibility of the voting process handled by SIAO Partners, assuring that the organisation will continue to uphold professionalism and transparency. “We have full confidence in the process already in place and in the professionalism of SIAO Partners,” he said. “We will continue to work with them and our college of voters to sustain the high standards we have set.” Phillips concluded by reaffirming his belief that sustained collaboration among all stakeholders will ensure continuous improvement in Nigerian sports, both locally and internationally. “This journey has been one of courage, consistency and collaboration. Together, we are building a legacy that will inspire excellence in Nigerian football and beyond,” he noted.
