uCu alum wins scholarship to uS college , july 29, 2022 By Eriah Lule (This article was edited from the March 2021 published version) While Covid-19 severed sports in Uganda, including at Uganda Christian University (UCU) for nearly two years, it is important to recognise the role athletics continues to play in shaping a well-rounded individual and, for some, propelling a career. Athletes have to be prudent to run both their exam timetable and tournaments because they are subjected to the same time frame and rules as other non-athlete students. The sports at UCU include football, rugby, basketball, volleyball, netball, handball, wood ball, and tennis. There are many successes of UCU sports alums, including these: Ruth Aturo Like her counterpart Hasifah, Ruth Aturo has shined on the national level in football. Having graduated in July 2019 with a UCU Diploma in Business Administration from the School of Business, Aturo notes that she persevered in sports despite her family feeling she would be better suited to focus on another career. Aturo has soldiered on, being the captain of the national team, the Crested Cranes; and being named the best goalkeeper of the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations. In 2018, she was Uganda football association’s female footballer of the year. Fayed Bbaale A student in the UCU Bachelor of Business Administration degree path within the School of Business, Fayed Baale takes no prisoners while on the basketball court. His impeccable performance and shocking spring power have seen him take flights to represent UCU in competitions overseas. Baale has competed in Tunisia, with his club, the Silver Backs, for the Afro Basketball Championship, a continental tournament. David Dkong David Dkong, who pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering, has represented the university as part of the Silver Backs national basketball club. “I used to play basketball for fun. It was when I started playing in the national league, while on scholarship from UCU, that I started playing competitive basketball,” Dkong said. “All I can say is UCU just showed me the worth of my talent.” Paul Mucureezi Paul Mucureezi, an alumnus with a Bachelors in Procurement and Logistics Management, is a player with Vipers Sports Club in Uganda’s premier soccer league. “I don’t regret studying at UCU because the University polished my talent, positioned me strategically and, now, I’m shining at my club, as well as earning a living,” Mucureezi said. “I just didn’t know what the future held for me, until UCU threw the light to the direction that I needed. I’m grateful and humbled and if there is any need, I will not hesitate to show my appreciation to my alma mater.” Peace Proscovia A four-time winner of the Uganda Sports Press Association (USPA) netball player of the year award, Peace Proscovia was the first Ugandan to play professional netball in the United Kingdom. The captain of the Uganda national netball team is a multi-talented player of basketball, handball and volleyball, but more known for her exploits in netball. With her academic and netball roots Paul Mucureezi uCu’S SPorTS aMbaSSadorS Ugandan basketball star Abby Priscilla late 2021 won a scholarship to study a bachelor’s in business administration course at Grayson College in Texas, USA. The UCU alumna said winning the scholarship had a lot to do with her performance on the basketball court. The 19-year-old noted that playing basketball at such a level will make her not only a better athlete, but also a competitive one. (Article by Ian Asabo, edited from a longer version published in February 2022) Ex-UCU female athletes train girls in football By Ian Asabo (This article was edited from the March 2022 published version) Football is a man’s game. Women should sit and enjoy it being played on the pitch. These are two of the gender biases that have strengthened the bond among four former female footballers in Uganda. Bridget Nabisaalu, Mercy Nabulobi, Collines Ahumuza and Ruth Akao – all alumnae of Uganda Christian University (UCU) – have formed an organization to further the access and acceptance of women into football. The Women in Football Uganda (WIFU), an organization birthed in November 2021, has so far registered 15 girls, who are being indoctrinated into embracing football as a sport for everyone. Nabisaalu said the girls who registered early are from teams in Mukono. However, she said, there are plans to expand the registration to cover the whole country. IFU partners with the girls’ teams to ch them,” Nabisaalu added. The program s girls below 17 years. The organization’s role is not limited to Peace Proscovia ching the girls on how to play football, so teaches them other life skills that n help them off the pitch. “Many coaches ch girls how to play football, and that is abisaalu says, adding: “Other aspects fe are not taught, which, I think, is a iment to an athlete’s development.” bisaalu and her compatriots have in the t helped UCU’s team win prestigious ophies at the national level. Nabisaalu ed for the UCU Lady Cardinals for some time, before becoming an assistant ch of the same team. Ahumuza is a trainee coach for UCU Lady Cardinals. Akao retired and is the current coach for Muyenga Soccer Academy in Kampala. “We are working with girls in rent age groups, which allows us to e flexible in our training,” Nabisaalu said, g that they give the trainees the basics rsonal hygiene as well as discipline to e they become “complete footballers nd exemplary sportswomen.” ddition to the one-hour session on ch with female coaches, the mentees are n through issues concerning menstrual ne, discipline, mental health, public ing and financial literacy. t year, since schools were in a Covid-19 Ruth Aturo nassuna Hasifah Nassuna Hasifah, a graduate of Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication within the School of Journalism Media and Communication, is a forward for both the Uganda national women’s team (The Crested Cranes) and UCU Lady Cardinals in the Federation of Uganda Football Association (UFA) Women Super League. At only 24, she is a household name in Ugandan women’s football. Nassuna’s awards include Female Player of the Year in the 2016 Airtel-FUFA awards, Most Valuable Player and top scorer awards in 2019. On May 5, 2022, Nassuna became the first player in the Uganda Women’s Premier League history to score 100 goals. in UCU, from where she pursued both bachelor’s (2013) and master’s degrees in Business Administration (2016), Proscovia is a world-class netball player. An October 2021 Sky Sports story described her as “one of the world’s leading goal shooters.” Desire Ayeera Desire Aloysius Ruhweza Ayeera Desire Ruhweza Ayeera was a student in the UCU School of Business. He has been there for top-notch American football competitions such as Common Wealth Games in 2017 and World Rugby Dubai in 2019, among others. “I am always privileged when I am alled to play at the National team, although we don’t play as many competitive tournaments as UCU rugby eam,” said Ayeera. “But I thank them for always keeping us fit and by the way giving the advice, ecommendations and papers always needed.” UCU has state-of-the-art sports facilities and a good record of sporting activities. Uganda Christian University teams have over the years won several championships and sporting accolades and are not about to stop. down that meant no classes during the week, the programs would run every Wednesday, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. However, this year, since schools have now opened, the sessions are held every Saturday. The venue for the sessions is the grounds for Champions United FC in Kauga, Mukono. It is not just the stigma against female footballers that the mentors face as a challenge. The founders of the organization say some coaches at academies are reluctant to let their players participate in the mentorship program, thinking that they may be snatched by other teams. Financial constraints, including the ability to get equipment, also have been a challenge. Lady Cardinals head coach Christian Magoba praised the quartet for their commitment to the mentorship project, saying that he is confident the program will have a positive impact in the community. “I am proud of what these ladies are doing both on and off the pitch,” he said. “It takes a lot of commitment to undertake an initiative like this.” E
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