Sporting Lagos: 10 reasons why NNL matchday experience was and will continue to be fun

For Shola Akinlade, Paystack's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and co-founder, Sunday, February 13 2022 will go down as one of the most exciting days of his life. 

It was the day that saw his new project - Sporting Lagos - make their professional debut in the Nigeria football scene. 

Registered to play in the Nigeria National League (NNL): the country's second division, Akinlade strove to ensure that this memorable day will not go down as memorable for him alone. The plan of the project had always been about building a football club that the community will enjoy being a part of.

While Sporting Lagos' first game of the NNL season against Go Round was the first stone to achieving this goal, Akinlade ensured that this first stone or perhaps, second - the first being announcing the start of the club in an official press conference, will keep fans wanting more.

Indeed, Sporting Lagos created an exciting matchday experience, and here are 10 reasons it was and will continue to be fun.

From the day they announced their first league game, this newly-founded club had tickets already up for sale on their club website. This allowed fans from the comfort of their location, to purchase a match day ticket or season-long ticket: a complimentary package for registered founding members. 

They also ensured ticket clearances at the gate of the stadium, was done seamlessly as they had up to ten attendants to clear the expectant fans. 

As accustomed to football leagues where the home team are responsible for providing security, Sporting Lagos did not disappoint. While having officers of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) hover around the premises of the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Sporting Lagos ensured another team: a private security outfit, oversaw security inside the main bowl of the stadium.

To prevent fans from missing any part of the game due to hunger, food was made available. The services of food vendors were employed, as they manned strategic corners of the stadium, waiting to attend to every beck and call at a paltry price.

Like food, drinks were equally available. From water to soft drinks, to alcoholic drinks, the idea was to have everything readily available. For fans who would have normally stepped outside of the stadium's main bowl to quench their thirst or hunger, this was not the case.

Although it was the first-ever game, fans found a way to enjoy the game together. From the blowing of vuvuzelas to dancing along to sounds from either the supporters club or the disc jockey on display, the atmosphere was filled with a melodious noise. The icing on the cake was the times fans rather than staying silent, chanted, "Let's go Sporting, let's go", rounding it off in unison with a two truck horn-like sound from their ever noisy vuvuzelas.

With the large screens at the stadium unable to be turned on, for the time being, Sporting Lagos set up their large screens for fans to view the game in the replay. Fans at the stadium got a chance to watch the game in reality and on the telecast, and the NNL club also showed that fans can still get the chance to see their games even from their homes. 

Rather than have fans bored at the interval between the first and second halves of the game, Sporting Lagos ensured they had fans dance to a musical performance by Nigerian artist Lojay. This kept them engaged till the teams returned for the continuation of football action.

The stadium announcer on the day created a party-like experience for fans as he slightly deviated from just announcing match details and facts to also playing the role of a clubhouse hype man. At intervals, he would cheer the home team, and lead a stadium-wide chant that sometimes lasted as long as five minutes.

For their first home game, Sporting Lagos employed the services of 13 partners. From companies immersed in tech, to medicine, to transportation and more, Sporting Lagos ensured they did not create comfort for the average fan, alone. 

While jerseys were made available for only the playing team, members of its backroom staff and just 20 other members of the club, announcing that interested parties should place an order on the club's website was, promising for fans who were eager to put on the club's colours of navy blue and gold.