Bayelsa United unveil 35-man squad, chase quick return to NPFL

Bayelsa United will begin the new Nigeria National League (NNL) season with a 35-man squad, after the club unveiled its players on Friday.

The club is chasing an immediate return to the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), the top tier it was relegated from. Governor Douye Diri has told the board that promotion is the target, and the board says it has passed that demand on to the coaches.

Godson Abaikade, the board member in charge of technical affairs, said the squad had been put through close to four months of preparation. He said the opening fixture on Sunday should show supporters what the team has been building.

“Simply put, the team is ready,” Abaikade said at the unveiling.

Welfare kept at top-flight level

Abaikade said the state government has kept the players on the same welfare package they enjoyed in the NPFL, even though the club is now in the second tier. He described that package as one of the best in the NNL, and said the governor backed the promotion mandate with a welfare package for the team.

He also acknowledged that the NNL is a hard league to get out of. The board, he said, has told the coaches plainly that the job is to win promotion in a single season, and that they knew the size of the task before they accepted it.

For Bayelsa United's fans, the message is simple: the club is not planning to settle in the second tier. A quick return would restore top-flight football to the state and the revenue and profile that come with it.

For the players, the promise of NPFL-level pay in the NNL is a strong incentive, and it may help the club hold on to its best names through a long season.

What happens next

The team plays its first match of the 2026/2027 NNL campaign on Sunday. How the squad settles in that game, and whether the welfare promises hold through the season, will shape the promotion race.