-
Heartland FC coach Emmanuel Amuneke is determined to guide the Owerri-based club back to the Nigeria Premier Football League next season after missing out on promotion in the previous campaign.
-
The Naze Millionaires missed out on a return to the Nigeria Premier Football League last season after finishing third in the NNL Group B, leaving them determined to improve on that performance and secure promotion to the top flight at the end of the 2026-27 campaign.
-
Amuneke revealed that friendly matches against Enyimba and Akwa United provided an opportunity to assess new signings and develop a suitable playing style ahead of the 2026-27 NNL campaign.
-
Heartland will kick off their promotion quest with a home fixture against Crown FC on Sunday, November 1, 2026, in Conference A, where they will also face Remo Stars, Sunshine Stars and other challengers.
October 29, (THEWILL) – Heartland FC coach, Emmanuel Amuneke, has set his sights on guiding the team to the Nigeria Premier Football League next season ahead of the 2026-27 Nigeria National League (NNL) campaign.
The Owerri-based club missed out on promotion last season when they finished third in the NNL Group B.
Heartland will begin the new NNL campaign with a home clash against Crown FC on Sunday, November 1, 2026.
Amuneke has expressed his desire to see the Naze Millionaires in the NPFL next season.
He said: “I also want us to be back in the NPFL as quickly as possible.
“But over the years, with my experience, I have learned to understand that in life, nothing happens without a process. Those processes began when I arrived here, and I am happy that today, we are in a position to compete.”
Amuneke revealed that the pre-season matches provided an opportunity to assess new players and develop a suitable playing style ahead of the new season.
“When we started this season’s preparations, we played a friendly game against Enyimba and lost. We also played against Akwa United in Uyo, where we were beaten.
“The games were used to look at the new boys that we wanted to incorporate into the team. It was from there that we started developing a pattern that we wanted to play”, he added.
READ ALSO:
The teams have been divided into four conferences, with nine clubs in Conferences A and B, while Conferences C and D have eight clubs each.
Heartland will battle it out with the likes of Crown FC, Remo Stars, Edel, Stormers, Eko United, Godswill Akpabio FC, and Sunshine Stars in Conference A
In Conference B, Beyond Limits, Solution FC, Akwa United, Smart City, Abakaliki FC, Right-2-Win FC, Dokkar Khairu FC, Ekiti Unite, and Bayelsa United will slug it out.
Conference C consists of El-Kanemi Warriors FC, DMD FC, FC Basira, NeuroSpark FC, Kebbi United FC, Adamawa United FC, Jigawa Golden Stars FC and Junior Danburam FC.
Conference D includes Yobe Desert Stars FC, Wikki Tourists FC, Lobi Stars FC, ABS FC, Sokoto United FC, Bichi First FC, Kada Warriors FC and Mighty Jets Feeder.
