UK-based billionaire, Dozi Mmobuosi unveils NNL new club, 1472 FC in Surulere

Posted : 06 November 2023

A new football club, 1472 FC, was officially unveiled to the public in Lagos with the owners promising to use it as a platform to further engage youths in football and entertainment.

The club will be competing in the second tier, the Nigeria National League (NNL), which is expected to kick off in November this year.

During the unveiling, the CEO of 1472 FC, Dr. Segun Sanni, revealed that the club has its base in Surulere but will play its home matches in the NNL at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena in Onikan, Lagos, pending the completion of renovations at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Surulere.

"We will be playing our home matches at the Onikan Stadium but will return to the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Surulere, which is our base," said Sanni.

Regarding the choice of the club name, 1472 FC, Sanni explained that it was derived from the year when Portuguese explorer Rui de Sequeira landed in Lagos and named the area near the city Lagos, or Lago de Curamo, meaning Lake of Curamo.

"We've named the club so because a Portuguese explorer gave Lagos that name that year, and we feel it is fitting to do so," he said.

1472 FC has a feeder (youth team) and is working on establishing a women's team, according to Sanni. The club has plans to launch its academy in January 2024.

Influential individuals in Surulere, such as Actor-turned-Politician and Lagos House of Assembly member, Honourable Desmond Elliott, Honourable Abiodun Orekoya, and Surulere local government chairman, Sulaiman Bamidele Yusuf, offered their support for the launch of 1472 FC.

Elliott said: "It is a good time to have a football club like 1472 FC in Surulere. From the beginning, we have been involved with the plan, and it is great to see it become a reality. The club will be run professionally from management to players."

Orekoya said that the vision to establish the club in Surulere is excellent, as the town is the "home of football in Nigeria."

"Surulere is the home of football in Nigeria, and I am glad that you are bringing that back now with this club. I want this to become the best club in Nigeria in the near future. These gentlemen have a good vision concerning the formation of this club," Orekoya said.

Yusuf said: "I am happy to see this happen during my administration. This is the sports city and it has two stadiums recognized by FIFA. Football is not a small business; it is significant, and 1472 FC has come to stay and will open the doors for others to follow in other communities."

1472 FC has a major sponsor in Tingo.

UK-based billionaire, Dozi Mmobuosi unveils NNL new club, 1472 FC in Surulere

ADD A COMMENT :

Hot Topics