The Uganda Sports Press Association (USPA) have picked volleyball legend Neko Muduse-Ojala of Nemostars Club as the 2020 recipient of the USPA Legendary Award.
Ojala, founder of Uganda Volleyball Association (now Uganda Volleyball Federation) will receive the award this Wednesday, 18th November 2020 at the Kampala Serena Hotel BallRoom when USPA holds it’s annual gala in the afternoon that will also mark the association’s 50-year anniversary.
“We are happy to announce Mr. Neko Muduse-Ojala of Nemostars Club as the recipient of the Legendary Award. The award, which is decided by the executive, is given to individuals which have made immense contribution to Ugandan Sports,” USPA noted via a social media missive.
The previous recipient of the award was tennis legend John Oduke.
However, Ojala 74, who founded volleyball outfit Kampala Amateur Volleyball Club KAVC 50 years ago (1970), becomes only the first from the Volleyball fraternity to be picked for the award.
Ojala and Awards (via Inside Volleyball)
In 2005, Uganda Volleyball Federation honored Ojala with a UVF life time achievement award. This was for his tireless contribution to the game since inception.
Ojala founded the Uganda Volleyball Association (Now Federation) in 1973 and was its Secretary General until 1989. He became Co-Patron of Uganda Volleyball Federation from 2004-Todate after seeing the registeration of Uganda Volleyball Federation to both CAVB and FIVB.
Ojala has 17 Volleyball clubs/teams to his names since 1970; most successful being Nemostars, KAVC and KCCA Women. Uganda Prisons, Police and Makerere University are the others.
For Ojala, who has been in Volleyball for the last 55 years walks with a lot of buoyancy; his current club Nemostars are joint record National League holders with another Club he founded – KAVC. KCCA also women ruled the volleyball scene the early 2000’s.
In 2015, KAVC enacted him to the Club’s Hall of Fame during the KAVC Awards. KAVC was Founded in 1970 by Ojala and three others; Ahmed Jetha and Dr. Wilson Ojikan Odeke and expatriate Erika Selzam who was a teacher of German language at Lubiri S.S.
However, albeit being one of the founding fathers of KAVC, Ojala takes a lot of pride in Nemostars volleyball Club, a club that has ruled Uganda’s volleyball scene in the last 10-years and represented Uganda at National, Regional and continental level.
Ojala has founded over 10 volleyball clubs most of which are still active in various leagues and divisions.
However, among other recipients, current volleyballers Grace Akiror, (Nkumba University) and Daudi Okello (SkyWalkers) will also receive their USPA awards as Female and Male Volleyballers of the year 2019.
