The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Federation of Uganda’s Football Association (FUFA) has signed a four-year partnership with Finance Trust Bank, which will see the bank invest 2 billion Shillngs into women’s football.
The partnership is the first substantial private investment in women’s football since the league was established in 2015.
Under the terms of the partnership, Finance Trust Bank will acquire the title rights for Uganda’s two top women’s leagues, the Super League and the Elite League. Both leagues will be named the Finance Trust Women Super League and the Finance Trust Women Elite League, respectively.
The partnership was announced on Thursday at a media briefing.
FUFA President; Moses Magogo said that the partnership is part of the fruits that are being yielded in the process of developing women’s football which has been gradual.
“In 2013, FUFA took a painful decision to withdraw our U20 Women National Team that had eliminated South Sudan 22-0 on aggregate. At the time, we did not have any formal Leagues and thus we decided to go back to the drawing board, created the FUFA Women Elite League first, then the FUFA Women Super League”, he said
Adding that; “That painful decision has bare fruits and we are grateful that we have Finance Trust Bank on board to support Women’s Football”.
Under this partnership, FUFA will receive 1.7 billion Shillngs over the next four years, with an annual disbursement of 350 million Shillngs. Of this, 100 million Shillngs will be allocated to an annual women’s football bonanza, while 250 million will be shared between the Women Super League and the Women’s Elite League each year.
Additionally, 50 million Shillngs is designated for sponsorship activation efforts.
“We are excited to now extend our support to women in sports.” She stated before adding “We are excited to explore opportunities for women in football to join our team at Finance Trust Bank, leveraging their skills and passion to drive success both on and off the pitch.” Finance Trust Bank Managing Director Annet Nakawunde said
Over the past decade, FUFA has placed a strong emphasis on the development of women’s football, which has seen substantial growth—from fewer than 200 players in 2015 to over 6,000 active participants today.
Magogo recently told URN that while women’s football is gaining momentum globally, it holds special significance in Uganda due to the country’s demographics, where women constitute the majority of the population.
In addition, it is worth noting that when the government increased FUFA’s funding to UGX 17 billion, at least UGX 7 billion was reportedly earmarked specifically for the development of women’s football.
The 2024/25 Finance Trust Women Super League is slated to kick off next month, with the Finance Trust Women Elite League following shortly thereafter.
******
URN
