Bridge Football Club is a Nigerian football club based in

Lagos Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...

that was founded in 1976. As a result of its association with the Julius Berger construction company, the club was known as Julius Berger Football Club until 2010. The club has won national championships and competed internationally. Players such as

Odion Ighalo Odion Jude Ighalo (born 16 June 1989) is a Nigerian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football), forward for Saudi Pro League club Al Wehda FC, Al-Wehda. After starting his career at Nigerian clu ...

, David Adekola,

Yakubu Yakubu is a male-given Hausa language, Hausa, Yoruba language, Yoruba and some parts of Edo State, Edo. The name is commonly used as a surname in Nigeria and other African countries. The name means "God is merciful.". It is a cognate of Jacob (na ...

Taribo West Taribo West (born 26 March 1974) is a Nigerian pastor and former professional footballer who played as a defender. He is best remembered for his various unusual and colourful hairstyles. After winning several major trophies with Auxerre in Fren ...

Sunday Oliseh Sunday Ogochukwu Oliseh (born 14 September 1974) is a Nigerian football manager and former footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. Physical yet technically gifted, he played for top European clubs including Ajax, Borussia Dortmund and J ...

Samson Siasia Samson Siasia (born 14 August 1967) is a Nigerian former professional football striker and the former head coach of the Nigeria national team from 2010 to October 2011. He was reappointed in 2016. On 16 August 2019, FIFA banned Siasia from all ...

Emmanuel Amuneke Emmanuel Amunike (born 25 December 1970) is a Nigerian professional football manager and former association football, footballer who played as a winger (association football), winger. Playing career Amunike played for Zamalek SC, Zamalek, Spo ...

Rashidi Yekini Rashidi Yekini (23 October 1963 – 4 May 2012) was a Nigerian professional footballer who played as a forward. Known by his Nigerian team mates and fans as 'The Goals Father', he scored over 480 goals in over 670 games in his careehttps://medi ...

, Garba Lawal, and

Mutiu Adepoju Mutiu Adepoju (born 22 December 1970) is a former Nigerian professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He spent most of his career in Spain, amassing La Liga totals of 175 games and 22 goals over the course of seven seasons and represen ...

have played for the club.

History

Until 2006, the club played in the

Nigerian Premier League The Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) (formerly the Nigeria Professional Football League) is the highest level of club football in Nigerian football league system. The Nigerian Premier League has suffered like many others, from the financ ...

, but their owners announced plans to close the club by 2008. However, outgoing chairman of the board of directors

Mobolaji Johnson Mobolaji Olufunso Johnson (9 February 1936 – 30 October 2019) was a Nigerian Army Brigadier who served as Military Administrator of the Federal territory of Lagos from January 1966 to May 1967 during the military regime of General Aguyi-Ironsi ...

(a former governor of

Lagos State Lagos State (, ) is a States of Nigeria, state in South West, Nigeria. Of the 36 States of Nigeria, Nigerian states, Lagos is the second List of Nigerian states by population, most populous state but the List of Nigerian states by area, smallest ...

) said in August 2008 that the company had steadied their finances and were prepared to fully fund the team in 2008–09. They played their final 2008 home games at the

University of Lagos The University of Lagos (UNILAG) is a Public university, public research university located in Lagos, Nigeria, which was founded in 1962. UNILAG is one of the education in Nigeria#First generation universities, first generation universities in ...

after

Onikan Stadium The Mobolaji Johnson Arena, previously known as Onikan Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium in Lagos, Nigeria It is currently used for football (soccer), football matches and is the home stadium of 1472 FC, First Bank FC, Ikorodu United F.C., Ikorod ...

was shut down for the rest of the season. Berger temporarily relocated to

Abeokuta Abeokuta is the capital city of Ogun State located at the south western part of Nigeria. It is situated on the east bank of the Ogun River, near a group of rocky outcrops in a wooded savanna; north of Lagos by railway, or by water. , Abeokut ...

for two years in 2004. In July 2010, the team was bought by seven private individuals led by Emmanuel Ibru The club was renamed "Bridge Football Club". Bridge Football Club featured in the Nigerian National League (NNL) in the 2010–2011 and 2011–2012 seasons and finished 3rd and 4th, respectively. The club has a staff strength of over 70, including players and coaches of their academy 'BRF Academy'. However, in Dec. 2012 just before the 2012

Nigeria National League The Nigeria National League (NNL) (formerly the National Division 1) is the second-highest overall in the Nigerian football league system after the Nigeria Premier Football League, and is currently contested by 46 clubs. Each season, four ...

season the team tried to sell their league slot to Ekiti-based Fountain F.C. They withdrew from the league when the sale fell through. This left their future participation in Nigerian football in doubt, but they participated in the 2013 Lagos State Federation Cup and joined the Lagos-based Private Professional Football League 'Metro Pro League' for the 2013/2014 season and finished second (2nd) in the maiden season of the elite private professional football league.

Achievements

: 2 :: 1991, 2000. *

Nigerian FA Cup The Nigeria Federation Cup is the main football (soccer), football single-elimination tournament in Nigeria contested by 74 teams, representing the States of Nigeria, 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria, FCT of Nigeria. It is the ...

: 2 :: 1996, 2002. *Nigerian Super Cup: 2 :: 2000, 2002. *Metro Pro League: 2013/2014 :: 2nd Position

Performance in CAF competitions

CAF Champions League The CAF Champions League, known for sponsorship purposes as the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League and formerly the African Cup of Champions Clubs, is an annual football club (association football), club football competition organized by the Conf ...

: 2 appearances ::

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

– Group Stage ::

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

– First Round *

African Cup of Champions Clubs The CAF Champions League, known for sponsorship purposes as the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League and formerly the African Cup of Champions Clubs, is an annual club football competition organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) a ...

: 1 appearance ::

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

: Second Round *

CAF Cup Winners' Cup The African Cup Winners' Cup was a football competition that started in 1975 and merged with the CAF Cup in 2004 to form the CAF Confederation Cup. It was a competition between the winning clubs of domestic cups in CAF-affiliated nations and was ...

: 3 appearances ::1995 – ''Finalist'' ::1997 – Second Round ::2003 – ''Finalist''

Sources

References Further reading
Berger Accept Omoruyi's Resignation

Julius Berger To Reposition Bridge Boys
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160311073411/http://guardiannewsngr.com/sports/article21/indexn3_html?cpdate=240808&pdate=230808&ptitle=julius%20berger%20to%20reposition%20bridge%20boys , date=11 March 2016
Why I left Berger- AmunekeTwo clubs opt out of NNL (Supersport.com) 23–12–12Metro Pro League
Football clubs in Lagos Association football clubs established in 1975 1975 establishments in Nigeria Sports clubs and teams in Nigeria