Date: 2017-06-04

Global Sports kit maker, Puma, has said it was attracted by the quality of Abubakar Bukola Saraki (ABS) Ilorin FC, hence the reason it chose to sign a 5-year deal with the Ilorin based club side.

The Brand Manager of Persianas Retail Ltd, Puma official Franchisee in Nigeria, Aderemi Adefolabi, said this to the Club Media on Saturday in Ilorin. Adefolabi, explained that the company's research shows that no club in Nigeria had developed players like ABS Ilorin FC in the past years.

"We want to grow sports in Africa and Nigeria is the number one nation to start. "Our research revealed to us that there are many players across Nigeria Premier League clubs that started their career with the Saraki Boys.

"We were delighted and comfortable with such a club helping the youth to achieve their dream of playing football at the highest level.

"We were almost concluding our investigations when the club U-15 team won the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) U-15 Promises tournament in Lagos. "The U-15 victory at the tournament vindicated our resolve to partner and sponsor the club" Adefolabi said.

She said the 5-year deal has an option of renewal because the company is looking beyond the 2022 that the deal is scheduled to end.

Adefolabi said that the partnership is in line with Puma's commitment to the growth and development of sports in Nigeria.

She explained that ABS FC has shown potentials of being a great club not just in Nigeria, but also in Africa and this has informed PUMA's decision to provide the necessary support for it to achieve its potentials.

She also said that the company's findings revealed that there was no incidence of crowd violence or attack on Match officials during the Saraki Boys games.

Adefolabi also mentioned the award given to the club by players union for commitment to players and officials welfare as well as a solid administrative structure and financial transparency

It would be recalled that both ABS Ilorin FC and Puma signed a 5-year deal in an elaborate ceremony on Thursday in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.