Uganda is growing into a genuine threat to the global powerhouses who have ruled the game for decades. Over the weekend, the She Cranes trended number in Uganda for their amazing pre-game dance before a game against New Zealand.
The latter was hosting a Fast 5 series featuring the top six netball nations in the world. This was Uganda’s first participation after a meteoric rise into the bracket over the past few years.
The She Cranes won over over the hearts of New Zealanders but the real highlight happened on the final day of the tournament when they defeated the number one ranked team in the world, Australia. Incredible. Unbelievable. By the time of writing this, clips of the final moments of that match have been viewed by more than one million people on social media. What all this means is that the She Cranes have become an international brand.
But this is not a mere coincidence. It has been a process that required adjustments, grit, and most of all, transparency. Ever since the netball body, UNF, changed leadership, the sport has enjoyed a fast rise to become a force at international level.
Ugandan netball may never be the same after that victory over Australia, which had not tasted defeat in over five years. You have to give props to Sarah Babirye Kityo and her UNF executive for taking the game to lofty heights never seen before.
A dinner with the President is the least this team deserves. Incidentally, as netball continues to carry the Ugandan flag globally, football continues to sink into an abyss. The Cranes are a mess while the level of competition in domestic football is sliding. Unfortunately, that is the least of Fufa’s priorities as it seeks to maintain its grip on the game.
The Fufa executive continues to stifle any emerging reforms in the game so that they maintain the status quo of having rulers and the ruled. Clubs continue to bear the full financial brunt of survival as Fufa milks whatever comes in form of sponsorship and grants.
To put this into context, Fufa receives more than Shs 40bn annually yet the Uganda Netball Federation (UNF) gets just Shs 1bn. To consider the fact that UNF has managed to place Uganda at the top of the world with a meagre budget is nothing short of a miracle.
So, spare a thought to imagine how the She Cranes would market Uganda if they had the full funding needed. Also think about the opportunities lost in football because of an autocratic, self-seeking executive out to milk football. The difference is clear as night and day.
The author is SC Villa first vice president in charge of mobilization.
inarticle} inarticle}
