10/05/2022
“Many people take ladies football for joke, it hurts me” Queens of West Nile Sports Club Boss, Olema Hamza
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When government of Uganda confirmed the outbreak of Covid-19 in the country, lockdown was introduced to control spread of the virus. This resulted to ban on several activities especially that requires public gathering like football and music show performances.
Despite the impact of this lockdown that brought-in several challenges, a young football enthusiast based in Arua City, Hamza Olema started to implement his dream of creating a mark in the football scene; he opened a ladies football team named Queens of West Nile Sports Club.
Olema teamed up with Ariye Mercy (the Club's Team Captain), a talented young football player who is on scholarship at Mukono High School, and the two mobilized some players with common idea to develop women football in West Nile region of Uganda.
“Arua District Football Association (DFA) Chairperson asked me to register the club for West Nile Regional League, but I had to consult some of the ladies who teamed with me, an idea that they Okayed before proceeding to register for this tournament and later Federation of Uganda Football Association (FUFA)” Olema recalls.
Queens of West Nile Sports Club has since attracted close to 50 girls from different districts of the region, with many offered scholarship for education in schools like Sacred Heart School Gulu, Kawempe Muslim SS and Mukono High School where they are studying and playing football for the schools.
With more than 3 trophies won in tournaments organized locally and at the regional level like Easter Cup by Edobo Foundation, Independence Cup and End of Year tournament 2021, Olema is hopeful that the girls have bright future as management continues to guide them while in the club.
“The club helps these girls in many ways like connecting them for scholarship to study in good schools across the country and to prevent them from involving in bad activities as they are always kept busy with club program and education” Olema says, adding that they also intend to contribute as club in reducing the high rate of teenage pregnancies and child marriages.
Although the club seems to have enough players, Olema calls upon parents to send girls who are able to play football and should be given chance to expose their talents in a club that he visions will be playing at national tournaments after 5-years to give good image of West Nile region.
Also the current Head Coach of Arua City Football Club, Olema says “there are many challenges in managing this club, we need medical support and equipment unfortunately many people take ladies football as a joke”.