Women football clubs in Uganda should start junior teams to create more opportunities for young girls to play the game and develop their skills.
This would also help the clubs to save money on buying players and to build a strong foundation for the future of women’s football in Uganda.
The requirement to have Junior teams should be made mandatory for all FUFA Women Super League clubs since they are the main face of women football in Uganda, and also the main feeders for Women National Teams of U17, U18, U20 and senior team.
Administratively, the clubs can also benefit by recruiting the girls when they are still young and teaching them the necessary culture, technical, tactical, psychological and physical aspects of the game.
Clubs that develop their own players will save money on transfer fees and wages. This will make it easier for them to compete as they can rely on their junior teams to feed the main team.
Football is an investment and requires short and long term planning. The junior girls teams can be a good move to all the clubs in Ugandan women football.
Young players are already dominating
The success of young women footballers is evident with players like Juliet Nalukenge, Margaret Kunihira, Fauzia Najjemba, Shakirah Nyinagahirwa, Catherine Nagadya, among others all achieving big as youngsters.
In 2019, Juliet Nalukenge won the FUFA Female Player of year at the age of 16 and is now playing in Europe. In 2021, Fauzia Najjemba won the same award aged 18 and is also in Europe.
During the 2022 WAFCON that was held in Morocco, Kunihira scored for Crested Cranes at the age of only 17. Sumaya Komuntale also scored in the same tournament at the age 18.
Sandra Nabweteme and Hasifah Nassuna also won the FUFA Female Player of the year awards while still teenagers.
Most recently, Nyinagahirwa won the FUFA Women Super League MVP and top scorer awards at the age of 17 while Nagadya won the FUFA Women’s Cup MVP award at the age of 18.
The two players have gone on to play and score for the senior women national team, the Crested Cranes.
Many young players below the age of 18 in Uganda, have shown potential, and this has proven that Uganda should consider having well organized grassroots for women football to achieve more.
By comparison, it’s mandatory for Super league clubs in men’s football to have junior teams, which compete in the Juniors League unlike in women’s football where mostly schools nurture young talents.
Football basics are better learned early
Academies like Azteks Soccer Academy from Kiggungu, Entebbe are some of the examples of the proper grassroots for women football however, this is not enough.
If a club has a junior team that works as the feeder side, it helps the team to prepare top players with all the basics and systems matching with the senior team which helps the promoted players to easily fit in.
Many top female players in Uganda now did not get proper basics of football in their early years and this affects them when they play with the national teams or in professional football clubs.
Some of them crossed from netball, beach soccer and other sports to football and have excelled at the local scene because of their sheer natural talent.
Early adopters
Kawempe Muslim Ladies FC who are the power house of women football in Uganda, have a junior team that competes in Kampala region and this has helped their young players to develop and compete in top league when promoted.
Other clubs like Uganda Martyrs Lubaga WFC, Rines SS WFC and Wakiso Hill WFC also have school teams that feed the senior team but clubs like Kampala Queens, Lady Doves, UCU Lady Cardinals, She Makerere, Asubo Ladies and She Maroons don’t have direct feeder junior teams.
The best player at almost every FUFA Women Super league club is a teenager. If only these clubs had proper junior teams, how well would they perform or produce top players for the national teams?
The world champions Spain who beat England 1-0 to win the title are also the holders of the under-17, under-20 titles.
Their achievement was planned and they invested in grassroot football through Junior teams and infrastructure. Over 12 players of the squad that won the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup were 24 years old or below.
Courtesy Photos
