Twenty-two male and 10 female teams will compete at the National Handball Division One League, which begins today at the Murtala Muhammed Squares in Kaduna and will end on November 23.
The 11-day championship comes on the heels of the successful completion of the Prudent Energy Handball Premier League won by Kano Pillars and Safety Babes in Lagos.
Speaking on the league, Technical Director of the Handball Federation of Nigeria (HFN), Ferdinand Emeana, said: “I believe would be a full house, and full of fun.”
On the forthcoming Nations Cup holding between January 16 and 31 in Tunis, Tunisia, Emeana said the players would be in camp from December 4 for two weeks before embarking on a playing tour of France.
“We will have 12 foreign-based players coming into the camp to make Nigeria proud. Our intention is to be at both the World Cup and Olympics,” he said.
It will be recalled that the country finished last at the 2018 edition of the Nations Cup held in Libreville, Gabon due to inadequate preparation caused by the paucity of funds.