Showtime Flag Football kicked off its new season on Sunday with the unveiling of the Showtime Summer Series tournament during an exclusive press conference at the Showtime Arena in Lekki.
The 10-week tournament, dubbed “Showtime Bowl XII,” will feature eight teams competing for honours, including some new entrants to the league. Official games are set to begin on March 23, following Sunday’s scrimmages.
Speaking at the event, Showtime Flag Football CEO Manal Nassar expressed excitement about the upcoming season.
“This year we’re very excited to have our Showtime Summer Series. We actually have new teams that are starting with us in the league this year, so that will be really exciting to put the old against the new,” she said.
“I think the vision for us is just to really showcase the players again like we do every season. Each one of them gets onto that field and creates such an electrifying experience every single time.”
The tournament will see returning teams including Warriors, LA Knights, Panthers, Off Season, and Raptors competing against newcomers Ican Sports, Greenbacks, and Lagos Alphas.
League Commissioner Adebare Adejumo announced that the league is raising its standards to align with international practices.
“We’re raising the international standard for the sport, and this year what we’re doing now is we’re adopting a bit more international rules and standards for the sport so that at least we can put our athletes on that pedestal where we know that they can compete anywhere in the world,” Adejumo stated.
Among the innovations for the new season is the introduction of a Video Assistant Referee system. Head Referee Henry Agwagu confirmed that the league has implemented virtual assistant referees to ensure accurate calls.
The league completed an off-season training programme called “Showtime Pro” that attracted about 100 players, including newcomers to the sport. The six-week programme concluded with the Showtime Combine on March 9th.
Nassar also revealed plans to introduce flag football to schools across Nigeria.
“Our projects are definitely to educate children. We want children to start playing the game at schools, secondary schools, going to college like they’re doing in the US, and then from there get sponsorships and scholarships,” she explained.
With the introduction of a second season later in the year, flag football enthusiasts can now look forward to year-round action as the sport continues to grow in Nigeria.
