Rangers International FC will compete in the upcoming Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL) Premiership season after creating a women’s team, club chief executive Amobi Ezeaku has confirmed.
The move will see the Flying Antelopes extend their established football identity into Nigeria’s top-level women’s club game, increasing the club’s presence in domestic football while contributing to the growth and visibility of the women’s sport.
Ezeaku announced the development during a press briefing in Enugu on Wednesday. He said Rangers would soon begin open screening sessions for players hoping to earn places in the team’s inaugural squad.
Coach Favour Anieke will remain in charge of the women’s side, with the club retaining the coach as it prepares for its first NWFL Premiership campaign.
“The female team would enjoy the same level of attention, support, and recognition given to the Rangers men’s team,” Ezeaku said.
The club is also considering where the team will play its home matches. Ezeaku said Awka City Stadium in Anambra State remains an available option, although Rangers’ preferred arrangement is for the women’s team to use the same venues as the men whenever that is possible.
That approach would allow both teams to operate more closely under the Rangers identity, while providing the women’s side with access to the club’s established matchday infrastructure.
Rangers are also preparing a wider plan to bring the women’s team into the club’s main operational structure. The integration is expected to be completed after renovations at the historic Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, also known as The Cathedral, have finished.
The club’s plans would place the women’s team within the same broader framework as the men’s team, rather than running it as a separate operation. Rangers said the move reflects modern football standards, in which men’s and women’s professional teams operate as part of one integrated club structure.
The announcement represents a significant expansion of the Flying Antelopes’ football operations. It also gives the NWFL Premiership another prominent club brand as Rangers prepare to launch their women’s programme.
The immediate priorities are to complete the player screening process, retain the existing coaching leadership and settle the team’s match venue arrangements ahead of the new season. Awka City Stadium remains under consideration, but the club’s stated preference is to share venues with the men’s team where circumstances allow.