It is not common for football clubs, especially in Uganda, to celebrate big achievements such as the silver jubilee or golden jubilee.
Recently, it dawned on me that Sports Club Villa has reached its 50th year of existence, yet the club continues to operate normally without any buzz about the milestone. I remember in 2015, the club under the leadership of Immanuel Ben Misagga celebrated 40 years at Hotel Africana, and the function was graced by President Museveni.
So, it is hard to explain why the current administration is not enthused. Well, it is very possible they are cooking up something before the year’s end.
FORMATIVE YEARS
From the very founding meeting at Nakivubo stadium, which was in January 1975 and brought about the inception of Nakivubo Boys, through to the present day, SC Villa has 50 years of inspiring history to share with the Ugandan football fraternity.
The origins of SC Villa can be traced back to a group of youthful players who used to converge around Nakivubo Settlement Primary School in the 1950s and played different sports disciplines.
It was in the late 1960s when the group of unprivileged youth, especially from the slums of Mengo-Kisenyi and its surroundings, teamed up at Nakivubo stadium and started the team that was to be known as Nakivubo Boys.
Around 1968, Express FC supremo, Joseph “Jolly Joe” Kiwanuka, took advantage of the situation and turned Nakivubo Boys into the feeder side for Express, which was already a top-flight giant.
However, Nakivubo Boys folded due to lack of proper leadership. Some of the founders like Edward Luyimbazi Mugalu and Joseph Kabundi, transformed it into Bata FC. But by January 1975, Bata FC was no more; this prompted Luyimbazi and his associates such as George Faison Ddamulira, Fred Kawuma, Fred Sebatta and Dan Lule, among others, to officially register Nakivubo Boys in the third-tier league. As they say, the rest is history.
JOURNEY TO THE TOP FLIGHT
In 1978, Nakivubo Boys qualified for the mini-super league before finally winning promotion to the 1979 top-flight league. This promotion happened at a time when the state had in 1977 banned Express. In fact, several former Express players and officials joined Nakivubo Boys in that spell.
The turning point, however, was the arrival of former Express treasurer Kawooya. Kawooya assumed the running of the club after an April, 1979 meeting, which elected other officials such as Ddamulira (patron), Luyimbazi (secretary), Lule (treasurer), George Sebuliba, and Eriab Kamya (team manager).
The club underwent a significant transformation thereafter. Kawooya changed many things at Villa Park, including the name to Sports Club Villa in 1982 and also naming the training ground Villa Park. Kawooya, who was a keen follower of English football, introduced many things at the club, including players having their names on the back of their jerseys.
The maverick Kawooya also signed several top players and seasoned coaches who turned the club into a dominant force. The recruitment of top coaches like George Mukasa, David Otti, Polly Ouma, Geoff Hudson, Timothy Ayieko and Paul Hasule turned SC Villa into a force to be reckoned with for decades. In that period, the club also recruited a host of top players such as Paul Hasule, Jimmy Kirunda, Rogers Nsubuga, Ronald Vubya, George Higenyi, William Nkemba, Sunday Mokiri, Magid Musisi, Sam Mubiru, Shaban Mwinda, Fred Serwadda, Twaha Kivumbi, Sula Kato, George Otto and Godfrey Kisitu, among others, who turned Villa into the team to beat.
THE GOLDEN ERA
SC Villa’s `golden era typically refers to the period of dominance under Kawooya and Franco Mugabe, particularly from 1986 to 2004. The golden eras particularly included numerous top-flight titles, Uganda Cup victories and the Cecafa Club Championship, solidifying SC Villa’s status as the country’s top side.
During Kawooya’s reign, the club dominated local football from 1986 to 1992, winning six league, three Uganda Cup, and one Cecafa club title. This was a historic highlight, with the club achieving three doubles in 1986, 1988 and 1989.
What’s more, the club twice reached the Caf Inter Club tournaments for both the Africa Club Championship (1991) and the Caf Cup (1992). Kawooya was backed by a strong top club executive of the likes of Ddamulira, Franco Mugabe, Henry Balamaze Lwanga, Bob Kabuye, Andrew Kasagga Zzimwe, Alex Kiseego, Hajji Sudi Zziwa, Hajji Luta Musoke, Abbot Sebuliba and Joy Muganzi, among others.
KAWOOYA TO MUGABE
In December 1993, Mugabe was voted unopposed to replace Kawooya. Few gave him a chance to fit in Kawooya’s big shoes. But Mugabe proved his critics wrong by keeping SC Villa at the top.
SC Villa consistently challenged for titles and trophies, with multiple league and cup doubles. Apart from the 1994 league title, which was Mugabe’s first achievement, the club went ahead to register seven more league, four Uganda Cup, and three Ce- cafa Cup titles, including three doubles (1998, 2000, and 2002).
To achieve this, Mugabe worked with a team mixed with youth and old guard, like Omar Mandela, Zzimwe, Tushar Ruparelia, Kevin Aliro, Sam Tamale, Chris Mubiru, William Nkemba and many others who had worked with Kawooya.
SC Villa also recruited top players and some prospects who made the club unbeatable. They include Edgar Watson, Hassan Mubiru, Andrew Mukasa, Hakim Magumba, Timothy Batabaire, Denis Onyango, Livingston Kyobe, Phillip Obwin, Arthur Byasiima and Aggrey Bigala, among others.
Mugabe threw in the towel in 2010 and passed the mantle to Fred Muwema, a top city lawyer who failed to help the club recapture the lost glory. He passed the baton to Misagga in 2014, who also gave way to Nkemba in 2018 after winning the 2015 Uganda Cup title.
The club is currently under Mandela. The former club treasurer has so far guided the team to its 17th league title (2023/2024), to end the 20 years of waiting. Amidst all this, the question remains; will SC Villa return to the top where it belongs?
The 50-year celebration would be a perfect springboard to reignite the passion of all club stakeholders. I hope there will be a commemoration.
