FUFA has continued with deliberate efforts to ensure Women football development in the country. Since the inception of the FUFA Women Elite League in 2015, there have been a number of positives realised although FUFA believes there is need for better.
A symposium strictly looking at Women’s football was held on Wednesday at Kabira Country Club, Kampala aimed at bringing together different stakeholders in football to forge a way forward.
These included club administrators, government, sponsors, FUFA and the media among others. A new Women’s football strategy dubbed ‘TAKE OFF’ was launched with the major aim of increasing the number of women involved in the game.
Former Crested Cranes defender Jean Sseninde, the brain behind Sseninde Women Development tournament, has been appointed the manager of this project which will run for two years from 2019-2021.
FUFA President Eng. Moses Magogo believes that this is a good move to take women’s football to another level. “As FUFA, whenever we have an idea, we always come together to brain storm for bigger ideas. We have formulated a good strategy called ‘TAKE OFF’ that we believe will develop women’s football in Uganda. We want to increase the number of women involved in the game as we aim to fulfill our vision of becoming the number one footballing nation off and on the pitch,” noted Magogo.
Minister of State for Sports Hon. Charles Bakabulindi, the guest of honor, was impressed with the move by FUFA and is optimistic Women’s football will attain development in a short time.
“As government, we are proud of this step taken by FUFA because we want gender balance. I was impressed when I watched the FIFA Women World Cup and I was amazed by the way girls played football. I’m confident such steps will enable us to reach those levels,” he said.
Hesterine De Reus, the UEFA coaching instructor who also attended the symposium commended FUFA for the bold decision and asserted this is a move in the right direction.
The CAF Head of Women Football Safia Abdeldayem lauded the symposium, saying that it is a step in making sure development is realised.
“Uganda has a very young squad and with the World Cup expanded by eight countries, this is a chance for Uganda to focus in qualifying for such tournaments,” She said. The key strategic goals in the TAKE OFF project are highlighted below;
National team activities
-Training camps (One each category a year)
-National team management activities (Media training workshops)
-Welfare incentives – Monthly payments for national team players
Marketing and Communication
-Hiring a marketing specialist
-Formulating a marketing strategy
-Introducing a weekly women’s football show at FUFA FM
Sensitization
-Using Ambassadors, musicians and players to sensitize masses during Crested Cranes Namutima competitions
– Community outreaches by players
-Holding a women’s football symposium
Advocacy
-Getting influential figures to advocate for women’s football such as Members of Paliament, Local Council leaders
Multi- media
-Hiring a specialist to record all league games and competitions
-Creating active women’s football social media pages
-All league teams must have active social media pages
Branding
-Acquiring branding materials such as teardrops, merchandise such as T-shirts, bag packs, caps, umbrellas, placing league logo on team jerseys.
Finance
-FIFA Forward Programs
-Government
-FUFA Sources
-Creating partnerships
-Sponsorship
To increase the number of Women/Girls playing football
-Improving schools’ girls football
-Visiting 8 schools in each FUFA region
-Partnering with the ministry of Education and Sports
-Post competition trainings
Mass Football
-Visiting 8 communities from the 8 FUFA regions about football for all such as football for disabled
– Holding a holiday football clinic for women in 2020
Outreach project in communities
-Involving players as role models visiting communities to inspire young girls
-Partnering Uganda Premier League clubs to advocate for more women involvement
