Former Lady Rugby Cranes (Uganda national women’s rugby team) 15s and 7s player and coach Helen Koyokoyo Buteme has joined Uganda Premier League side Express FC as a Strength and Conditioning (S&C) Coach, the club confirmed on Monday.
Buteme joins Express alias Red Eagles on a two-year deal. She will be tasked to establish and maintain a strength and conditioning program which will serve to improve players’ athletic performance and also teach them fitness and movement skills.
Buteme, also a hockey player narrated to the club website how she got the job.
“When I met the club CEO (Isaac Mwesigwa) at the beginning of this year, he told me about his plans for Express basically to bring back its glory days and seeing that am also a strength and conditioning coach, he wanted me to join the technical team and take over the conditioning needs for the team” Buteme told the club website.
“It turned out to be a challenge that I couldn’t resist and so I will be making sure that the players are in the best possible shape to execute the coach’s game plans and ensuring that they are as injury free as possible and assisting the medical team with the rehabilitation of injured players and just basically making sure that the players are at the best that they can possibly be” She said.
Buteme has already been ‘inducted’ into the team and has digitally set the ball rolling.
“I’ve had the opportunity to meet the rest of the technical team and we are all on the same page. I’ve started working with the players via WhatsApp but I can’t wait for the sports ban to be lifted so that I canvdirectly work with the players, this is so exciting and am happy to be on board with Express FC,” Buteme added.
Buteme is a Leipzig University level B conditioning License holder. She has had stints with the Lady Rugby Cranes team as a player, main coach, S&C coach and the like. She also coaches top tier women’s rugby outfit, Black Pearls. She is co-founder of Rhino Hockey Club, a women’s team playing in the National Hockey League