Football is a game deeply ingrained in the everyday life and culture of Ugandans. It is a national passion and is found everywhere you go.
However, some areas are mad about the game and almost every boy or girl raised has the outright ability to play either because of natural talent or the default of society.
Eastern and West Nile regions
Jinja and Arua have for a long time been football hubs, always famed for being home to sporting talent, especially football, boxing and athletics.
Many of the top-performing schools in the post-primary Copa Coca-Cola competition, the biggest base for youth football in Uganda, are poached from schools or academies from West Nile (Arua to be exact) or Jinja.
Walukuba, Bugembe, Masese, and Mafubira among others are some of the prominent areas in Jinja City that have hatched several football stars.
The same can be said of places like Rhino Camp, Ayivu, Awindri, Offaka, Ediofe, and Ombachi in Arua City. Though geographically apart, the two areas share similar, if not identical, societal circumstances.
At the start of this week, a Jinja City schools’ final between Jinja Secondary School and Jinja Progressive Academy attracted a mammoth crowd at Kakindu stadium.
And this has been the case for the previous years with people in and around Jinja religiously supporting football and sport in general.
A brief History of Football in the region
Football in Jinja can be traced as early as the 1970s when Jinja Hot Stars FC joined the Super Mini League. The team would later change its name to Nile FC after the takeover from Nile Breweries Limited.
They went on a spending spree to lure good players that included Matthew Lukya (RIP), Tadeo Azabo, and Mike Eziwa from Kakira Black Eagles. They also signed Sam Natulya (RIP) and Natal Mwaka (RIP) from Prisons.
Given the aforementioned recruitment, Nile FC performed well in their debut season (1979), finishing third. They would eventually clinch the title the following season.
In1980, Nile FC overcame local rivals Nytil FC to become the first and only up-country team to win the League.
To prove that Jinja was a football powerhouse, the 1980 campaign saw two teams from the same town (Nile FC and Nytil FC) fight for the title.
Tobacco FC was the other team that was formidable in Jinja also producing several stars like Moses Basena, Edward Kaziba, Sunday Mokiri, Bright Dhaira, and Stephen Bogere among others.
What the future holds
This success not only won support from the fans but also hatched the desire to create the stars for the future and since then, Jinja has continued to be a conveyer belt that never stops delivering.
The current crop of players that hail from Jinja includes Khalid Aucho, Isma Mugulusi, Richard Basangwa, and Joel Madondo among others.
However, the demise of the traditional clubs in Jinja took the passion and love for football into hibernation.
Even with the birth of teams like Jinja Hippos, Busoga United, Gaddafi, and BUL FC, the spirit has not been fully reawakened.
What cannot be doubted is the everlasting love for football in the region but there must be deliberate efforts from administrators within the area to revive the lost glory.
By: Ronald Kintu
Courtesy Photos
