Written By | Alex Mbamanya
FUFA youth football development officer Bashir Mutyaba during the selection of the talents
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Bushenyi
The long-standing concerns within Western Uganda’s football fraternity over the limited selection of players from the region to the national football teams may soon ease after the local football governing body, FUFA, intensified efforts to scout talent across all regions of the country.
The FUFA initiative, which involves youth football scouts led by the federation’s Youth Football Development Officer, Bashir Mutyaba, has seen officials conduct talent identification trials across all eight regions of Uganda, with outstanding players selected for further nurturing.
FUFA youth football development officer Bashir Mutyaba during the selection of the talents
At the football trials held at the FUFA School of Excellence for Western Uganda, St Kagwa Bushenyi High School in Bushenyi, 20 talented players were selected after two days of intensive trials.
According to Mutyaba, players selected from all regions will be accommodated at designated Schools of Excellence where they will continue with both academic studies and specialized football training.
"This is a deliberate move by FUFA, guided by the FUFA Technical Master Plan, to identify talents from all regions and place them in gazetted Schools of Excellence where they will continue receiving both academic education and specialized football training. We are doing this because our players have not been performing well internationally and one reason, according to FIFA findings, is that they are not given enough playing time and football education at a young age," Mutyaba said.
FUFA's Bashir Mutyaba adresses the selected players
St Kagwa Bushenyi High School head teacher, P.K. Kamugisha, thanked FUFA for selecting the school, which has consistently established itself as a football powerhouse in the region.
"We are very grateful to FUFA for choosing to partner with us, and both our football and academic records speak for themselves. This partnership will help expose young talents from the region, not only from St Kagwa, to higher levels of football. Our dream has always been to produce players for national teams and we appreciate this opportunity," Kamugisha said.
Kid talents during the selection trials at St Kagwa
Kiiza Lasmas, the coach of Nyabubare Secondary School in Bushenyi, described the initiative as a major opportunity for talented players from Western Uganda to gain exposure through structured football pathways. He noted that the region possesses abundant talent that has remained untapped due to various challenges.
St Kagwa Bushenyi High School Games Teacher Ashley Ajuna said the program should receive support from schools, academies, and other stakeholders who should work together to identify and develop more talent when future opportunities arise.
St Kagwa are eight-time unbeaten Bushenyi District secondary school football champions and this year successfully defended their USSSA Ankole Zone boys’ football title in Ibanda.
Uganda has recently made remarkable progress in youth football, having dominated the CECAFA U-17 Championship and qualified for the FIFA U-17 World Cup for a second consecutive time after defeating Ghana 8-7 in a penalty shootout last month in Morocco.
Torch Media Africa
