By Faith Anisiobi, The Sight News
Defending champions Kada Stars opened their 2026 Nigeria Hockey Super League (NHSL) campaign in impressive fashion on Friday, defeating Southwest 4-0 in their Pool A opener at the National Hockey Pitch of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.
The opening day of the championship not only showcased competitive hockey but also highlighted the Nigeria Hockey Federation’s (NHF) renewed efforts to reposition the sport through enhanced coaching programmes, grassroots development initiatives and strengthened international partnerships.
Kada Stars wasted no time asserting their dominance, with Victor Kish breaking the deadlock in the seventh minute through a penalty-corner conversion. Eikana Ibrahim doubled the lead seven minutes later with a well-executed field goal, giving the defending champions a comfortable 2-0 advantage at halftime.
Southwest’s hopes of a comeback were hampered by disciplinary setbacks, as Omolade Olasukanmi and team captain Umar Adamu received yellow cards during the encounter.
Daniel Janar extended Kada Stars’ lead in the 50th minute with another penalty-corner strike before Ibrahim completed his brace four minutes later to seal a comprehensive 4-0 victory.
Speaking after the match, Kada Stars captain Kelvin Linus attributed the team’s strong start to months of rigorous preparation.
“We prepared very well for this tournament. We have played in several finals before and achieved success. This time, we trained very hard because our target is another podium finish,” Linus said.
Elsewhere, Police Machine recorded the biggest win of the day with a commanding 9-1 victory over IGP Flickers. Stallions defeated Adamawa State 2-0, while Niger Flickers and Plateau Tigers settled for a thrilling 2-2 draw.
In the women’s category, Kada Queens thrashed Southwest 6-0, Plateau Queens overwhelmed IGP Babes 5-0, and Delta Queens secured a convincing 5-0 victory over Yobe Desert Queens.
Representing NHF President Simon Obadiah Nkom at the opening ceremony, Vice President and former international player Tunde Popoola said the quality of hockey on display reflected the federation’s determination to restore the sport to its former prominence.
Popoola recalled playing on the Abuja hockey pitch when it was commissioned in 2003, describing it as one of the best hockey facilities in the world at the time. While acknowledging the sport’s decline over the years, he noted that recent progress had been driven by improved coaching, better organization, grassroots development and support from the National Sports Commission (NSC) and the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC).
According to him, tactical discipline and player commitment have improved significantly across participating teams. Although he identified Kada Stars among the favourites, he maintained that several clubs have developed enough to make this year’s competition highly competitive.
Popoola, however, identified inadequate infrastructure as the greatest challenge facing hockey in Nigeria, noting that the country currently has only three standard synthetic hockey pitches. He called on governments at all levels to invest in more facilities, particularly in states hosting future National Sports Festivals, to support grassroots growth and facilitate the establishment of a sustainable home-and-away league system.
The federation’s technical development programme has received a major boost with the arrival of former Germany women’s national team head coach Michael Behrmann under a German government-supported sports development initiative.
Behrmann said his mission in Nigeria is focused on developing local coaches and strengthening the country’s technical capacity. He praised the standard of play witnessed on the opening day and expressed confidence that the coaching programme would leave a lasting impact before he proceeds to similar assignments in Egypt and Ghana.
NHF board member and former international Farouk Johanna reaffirmed the federation’s commitment to youth development, stressing that consistent competition and quality coaching remain critical to producing future national team players.
Johanna expressed optimism that Behrmann’s expertise would significantly enhance coaching standards and talent identification efforts across the country.
Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee, Professor Edika Abo, also commended the quality of competition, singling out the youthful Southwest team for praise despite their defeat to Kada Stars.
He said the team has the potential to become one of the country’s strongest sides if properly nurtured and supported.
Abo further lauded Adamawa State’s resilience, noting that the team has remained competitive despite the absence of a standard hockey facility for training. He disclosed that the International Hockey Federation (FIH) facilitated Behrmann’s visit to Nigeria to conduct coaching courses expected to benefit between 40 and 50 Nigerian coaches.
He also revealed that the President of the African Hockey Federation, Seif Ahmed, is expected to attend the latter stages of the competition as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen international collaboration and attract greater support for hockey development.
This year’s NHSL features nine men’s teams—Kada Stars, Police Machine, Niger Flickers, Stallions, Adamawa State, Plateau Tigers, IGP Flickers, Southwest and Yobe Desert Rollers—as well as seven women’s teams comprising Kada Queens, Plateau Queens, Delta Queens, Yobe Desert Queens, IGP Babes, Southwest and Edo Queens.
The championship will continue at the National Hockey Pitch, Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, until July 5.
