The 2014 Nigeria Professional Football League was the 43rd season of the competition since its inception, and the 24th since the rebranding of the league as the "Professional League". The season was scheduled to kick off on November 22, about one month after the conclusion of the 2013 season. However, on that date the league's start was postponed to mid-February until after the

2014 African Nations Championship The 2014 African Nations Championship was the third African Nations Championship association football, football tournament. The 16 national teams featured players from the respective national championships. The tournament took place between 11 Ja ...

and to allow the teams to complete all their FIFA licensing. It was delayed again until March.

Clubs

Sixteen teams from the previous season and four teams promoted from the

Nigeria National League The Nigerian National League (formerly known as ''National Division 1'') is the second tier of club football in Nigeria. History From 1997-2011, the league has been split into 1A for Northern teams and 1B for southern teams. The top two f ...

(

Crown F.C. Crown FC is a Nigerian professional association football club based in Ogbomosho, Oyo State, that competes in the Nigeria National League. The club plays at the Lekan Salami Stadium, with a capacity of 10,000. For the 2010–11 season they played ...

Giwa FC Giwa FC is a Nigerian football club. They are located in Jos and they play in the top division in Nigerian football, the Nigerian Premier League. 15,000 capacity Rwang Pam Stadium is their home. With a game to go in their debut season, they wo ...

, Taraba F.C. and

Abia Warriors F.C. Abia Warriors Football Club is a Nigerian professional Association football, football club based in the city of Umuahia, Abia state. Between 2005 and 2010, they played under the name "Orji Uzor Kalu FC" in honor of Abia governor Orji Uzor Kalu wh ...

) are participating in this season. With Abia Warriors debuting it means the

Abia State Abia State ( ig, Ȯha Abia) is a state in the South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, it is bordered to the north and northeast by the states of Enugu, and Ebonyi, Imo State to the west, Cross River State to the east, Akwa Ibom State to the ...

derby with Enyimba will feature at the highest level of Nigerian football for the first time.

Table

News

*- On February 21,

Sunshine Stars F.C. Sunshine Stars Football Club is a Nigerian football club based in Akure. They play in the top division in Nigerian football, the Nigerian Premier League. Their home stadium is the Akure Township Stadium. Funding Sunshine Stars FC are funded ...

was involved in an accident on the road between Ijebu-Ode and Akure. Five players and the team masseur went to the hospital with serious injuries. However, nobody was killed. *- On the eve of the league start, Giwa F.C. and Nembe City (the last two

champions and the league's only two privately funded clubs) were withdrawn from league fixtures by the LMC for failing to provide guarantees of the minimum salary for players, leaving the league at 18 teams. Both teams appealed to be reinstated on March 20. Giwa was admitted back on the 2nd of April and Nembe City was readmitted the next day. *- After the Week 1 games, Abia Warriors refused to travel to Maiduguri to play El-Kanemi Warriors, citing fears for safety after recent Boko Haram attacks. The league then refused to sanction games there, and El Kanemi nominally agreed to move games this season to Kano. *- The Week 26 fixtures were suspended when the Nigeria Referees Association went on strike. The league resumed 17 September.

Managerial (head coach) changes

Top scorers

; 23 goals * Mfon Udoh

Enyimba FC Enyimba Football Club or simply known as Enyimba, is a Nigerian football club based in the city of Aba which plays in the Nigerian Professional Football League. Their name means ''People's Elephant'' in Igbo language and is also the nickname us ...

References

{{2014 in African football (CAF) Nigeria Professional Football League seasons

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...