By Wycliffe Musinguzi (USSSA Capacity Building student)
On September 2nd, 2023, a groundbreaking capacity-building program marked a significant milestone in the journey to strengthen the foundation of primary school sports education. With joy and enthusiasm radiating from the participants, 253 teachers successfully completed a five-day training program held at St. Mary’s Vocational School in Mbarara, covering four distinct disciplines: football coaching and refereeing, netball coaching and umpiring, volleyball coaching and umpiring, and athletics coaching.
Here’s a breakdown of the participants: 44 in football refereeing, 52 in football coaching, 50 in netball umpiring, 54 in netball coaching, 22 in volleyball coaching, and 30 in athletics.
“This marks the beginning of a new era for primary school sports education. We will plan and organize more courses in December to continue this positive momentum,” said Ms. Harriet Margaret Apolot, the 3rd Vice President of USSSA (Uganda Schools Sports Association), expressing her excitement about this pioneering program in primary schools.
Acknowledging the crucial role of grassroots talent in fueling international success, Ms. Apolot emphasized the importance of putting knowledge into action. She added, “As USSSA, we have seen that we are performing well on the international level, but we have to go back to the grassroots who feed us with the talent. I congratulate you all and request you to go and put into action what you have studied.”
“As UPSSA, we can’t thank USSSA executive and everyone behind this innovation; we believe this is the way to go, and we shall organize more,” expressed Mr. Musigire Pauline, President UPSSA, reflecting the enthusiastic support for the partnership and its potential for future initiatives.
Mr. Gilbert Orikiriza, an education officer from the Ministry of Education and Sports, commended USSSA and UPSSA (Uganda Primary Schools Sports Association) for their partnership in launching this initiative to promote grassroots sports. He noted, “We appreciate USSSA for the partnership with UPSSA to bring such an initiative that will promote school sports from the grassroots.”
Hon. Robert Kachebezi Mugabe, the Mayor of Mbarara City and the chief guest at the capacity-building closing ceremony, extended his gratitude to the Government of Uganda for its support of sports, particularly school sports, which he sees as a catalyst for tourism and development. He urged parents to nurture their children’s talents alongside their academic pursuits.
“I would like to request parents to support their children with talent so that they can develop it instead of focusing on education only,” Mayor Kachebezi concluded.
However, the event took a poignant turn when She Cranes Head Coach Fred Mugerwa addressed the male coaches. Expressing his concern about inappropriate behavior, Mugerwa delivered a strong message: “To you male coaches working with girls, treat them as you would your own children. Support their growth and development; do not exploit them.” His words resonated strongly with the audience.
She Cranes Head Coach and Netball instructor Fred Mugerwa
As the capacity-building program concluded, participants praised USSSA for its partnership with UPSSA and expressed a heartfelt desire for similar courses to be accessible in their respective regions.
The dedicated instructors who facilitated this program include Samuel Turyomuriwe (Football Refereeing), Ssali Tom (Football Coaching), Fred Mugerwa (Netball Coaching), Zubedda Nansanga (Netball Umpiring), Nicholas Obeke (Volleyball Coaching), and Teddy Awol (Course Coordinator, USSSA Secretariat).
This event marks a crucial step forward in nurturing young sporting talent and ensuring the ethical development of sports education at the primary school level.
