The period since the General assembly in Jinja where this current executive was given mandate to steer football, it has been nothing but an experience with achievements and Challenges all in all milestones in our 4-year journey here.
The delivery of the current FUFA executive Administration is calibrated against my manifesto (IFET). This has not been a star performer president but a team.
Continuation of Business:
The Main Agenda was not only to continue with the standards we had set in the previous 8 years and the leadership of Mr. Lawrence Mulindwa but also improve in other areas of football
I am happy that there has been largely continued business execution without a drop in the standards and a multitude of improvement and introduction of new innovations. I take the opportunity to thank the previous 26 FUFA Presidents and the various individuals who created such a strong foundation that has enabled us to deliver the 2 years so far
This therefore is to present the Activity Report that I have outlined here as a team of 11 players where I am just the Coach for the Team of 11 Players.
1) Governance:
In my manifesto, I promised that FUFA will ensure proper governance and implementation of the FUFA Statutes.
This implied proper functioning of the various bodies of FUFA, the Membership, the Planning and revitalizing the relationship with Government who are key stakeholders for the development of the game
Without proper functionality of structures, there was always going to be lots of wrangles and lack of trust in the system. Development was always going to be overshadowed by football politics
Before;
There had been a lot of progress in this area before my ascendance to the Presidency.
We overhauled our statutes where the President had absolute powers to hire and fire.
Therein still were underlying issues that needed urgent direction. The individuals took centre instead of the institutions.
There was still a mix-up of roles of the bodies and generally there was also lack of trust if the independence and integrity of the decisions of the FUFA Bodies.
The Executive committee meetings were not scheduled by statutes but were always called whenever there was need. Members of the Executive committee did not take their constitutional right to suggest items for the agenda.
The executive of 22 people was big to avail each member an opportunity to speak and perform.
The secretariat was weak in man power, quality and quantity.
The executive and standing committees often performed roles of the secretariat (e.g VP-Finance and Secretary Competitions).
The General Assembly was also too big for effective deliberations
Our statutes did not give a clear distinction between the FUFA Ltd the legal arm and the FUFA the Association.
The former (Uganda Football Players Association) and Upcoming players (Uganda Youth Football Association) were not members of the General Assembly
Our intervention and Achievements;
Statutes and Regulations; Football being dynamic, amending and creating more statutes and regulations is paramount.
The FUFA Statutes have since been amended to remove the ambiguity of whether FUFA is an association or a company.
The 6th body called FUFA Ltd has since been created as the legal arm of FUFA.
The financial period was re-aligned to ending-31st December.
This now allows more than 8 months after end of financial period to undertake thorough audit and also perform financial reporting in accordance with the statutes.
FUFA now runs a budget that has been approved by the General Assembly unlike the case before the amendment
Regulations have been created or amended in the areas of;
– The Status and Transfer of Players,
-Club Ownership and Registration,
-Club Licensing,
-FUFA Competitions
-Disciplinary Code
-Bodies of FUFA
We have facilitated and ensured proper running and independence of the 6 bodies of FUFA.
The Executive Committee has been convened every 3 months as scheduled in the Statutes and decisions have been taken.
Now the Executive Committee discusses what the committees have proposed. The Committees are now involved in budget and policy formulations while the Judicial Bodies have adjudged on matters in their jurisdiction.
The secretariat has been improved in terms of the facilities, personnel and systems.
The General Assemblies have been conducted as provided for in the statutes.
FUFA Ltd that is a 6th FUFA Body continues to represent FUFA Legally.
Membership:
The Uganda Football Players Association (UFPA) and Uganda Youth Football Association (UYFA) have been admitted to the Membership of FUFA.
The various members are conducting their businesses and building their governance structures.
All the 8 Regional Football Associations now have offices and at least 1 full-time staff.
Master Plan:
FUFA is currently drawing the long term master Plan that will last 10-years.
This will give the grand plan of how football in this country will be strategically developed.
This includes Technical, Governance and Commercial Long term plans.
Government:
The Government is a key stakeholder in the development of the game of football.
There are matters that affect football but when only government can provide solutions.
The legislative bottlenecks, Security, the infrastructure and funding of national teams can only be accomplished by Government Support.
We have since reached out to various government functionalities and personalities.
FUFA has now engaged the President of the Republic of Uganda, HE Rtd Gen Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and it is now possible that President easily calls the National Team Captain, The Head Coach and the FUFA President to discuss football. FUFA has also now gotten good support from the Vice President, Rt Hon Prime Minister, Ministers, UPDF, Uganda Police, Immigrations and many government agencies.
We are now proud members of the Uganda Olympic Committee
Tangible Results;
1) A lot of previously unregulated operations are now regulated and guided
2) The FUFA vs. FUFA Ltd challenge and confusion has been diffused
3) Planning has helped reduce on resource waste
4) The Uganda Football Players Association is now very vibrant and contributing to the development of the game
5) The FUFA Structures are getting more practical in the development of the game
6) FUFA and Government are now discussing long term funding, infrastructure and Legislative bottleneck solutions
2) Finance
In my manifesto, I expressed that it is not sustainable to finance the modern game using private resources and I then promised that I will approach the inadequate finance resource in 2 ways thus;
• Opening more revenue channels
• Introducing systems and controls to achieve efficient utilisation of the meagre resources
I further promised to institute means to account for every shilling received
Before;
Although some revenue was being generated from Sponsorships, it was very small.
There was no substantial funding from the government. Merchandise did not generate any revenue and the cost sharing schemes were unpopular and not attempted.
The FUFA Finance Department was composed of only an Accountant and a volunteer part-time Vice President in Charge of Finance. It was impractical for the department to produce final accounts and report in accordance with the FUFA Statutes. The inadequacy of staffing did not allow the quarterly financial reports to the FUFA Executive Committee
The duo reporting requirement to FIFA and the FUFA General Assembly over different financial periods was cumbersome. FUFA normally spent unconstitutionally as the financial period would end on 30th June with the Assembly in August meaning the period in between the expenditures that were made had not been approved by the FUFA General Assembly
There were a lot of cash payments inclusive of salaries for staff and allowances for referees.
The Question of Accountability:
There has been a lot of hullabaloo about FUFA and more particularly the person of the President failing to show accountability.
The fact is that the people asking are either unaware of how accountability of institutions is done or have deliberately used this scheme to cause ridicule of the FUFA President and the entire institution with intention to cause lack of trust from the funders. This is further intended to cause general system failure as a political tool. The easily visible form of accountability is that FUFA has been a going concern with increased expenditure and engaging in multiple projects
Accountability should not be seen to be done but should actually be done. All institutions account in accordance with their respective Statutes and the reporting mechanism is in accordance with International Accounting Standards.
FUFA accounts in accordance with the FUFA Statutes.
It must then be noted that the FUFA President is not the accounting Officer at FUFA but the Chief Executive Officer.
The FUFA President equally demands for accountability from the implementing officers.
The FUFA Statutes provide that the Finance Department prepares final Accounts at the end of the Financial Period Year. The end of Financial Period is stipulated in the Statutes and for the case of FUFA it is now 31st December. The FUFA General Assembly appoints External Certified Public Accountants (Auditors) who have the expertise to cross check right from each shilling received and spent. The Auditors thereafter provide their opinion to the FUFA General Assembly.
After the Audit is completed, a management letter and the Audited Final Accounts are presented to the Finance Committee and eventually to the FUFA Executive Committee. This is the first time the President comes in contact with the final accounts
The major role of the President is to supervise and ensure the statutory provisions are followed particularly that Auditors are facilitated, provided with the information they require form the department, that the finance committee indeed sits to discuss the accounts, then to chair the Executive Committee and General Assembly which discusses the Final Accounts
It is not only improper but also not practical to declare gate takings and associated expenditures and interpret that as accountability. Besides even games that do not generate income have similar expenditures.
I am glad to report that the audited final accounts for the period ending 31st December 2014 have been presented to and passed by the Finance Committee and will be discussed at the Executive Committee and eventually sent to the delegates of the FUFA General Assembly. For the very first time, FUFA will after the FUFA General Assembly share the Audited Final Accounts with the various stakeholders inclusive of FIFA, CAF. Government and the General Public through the Print and electronic Media
Our intervention and Achievements;
1) Through marketing, we have increased on revenue from sponsorship. Merchandising is now a source of revenue whereas Cost Sharing has now been embraced particularly in the education programmes. We have also received unprecedented about 2 billion UGX from the Government in 24 months
2) FUFA recruited a full time and CPA holder as the Finance Director. It is now a 4-man department with the Financial Accountant, Management Accountant and Cashier.
3) We have extended financial assistance of more than 300m to the Members Associations
4) Uganda Cranes Player allowances and Bonuses (over 800m was paid to players for the 2015 AFCON Campaign alone) and we have been able to pay the Uganda Cranes Coach regularly
5) Paid off or reduced old debts worth over 250m (CECAFA 2012 Hotels, Namboole, Legal Fees, Referees etc.)
6) We have since instituted internal control mechanism with heads of department as vote controllers and a proper requisition system in accordance with budgets has been instituted
7) Staff Salaries and Referees allowances are now paid by direct bank transfer. PAYE and NSSF are now paid regularly
8) We have since instituted internal control mechanism to a reporting mechanism where there is an item on the agenda in the quarterly FUFA Executive Committee Meeting
9) We changed the end of financial Period from 30th June to 31st December. This now enables single audit process for FIFA and FUFA. It further provides enough time between the End of Period (31st December) and the FUFA General Assembly (Before 31st October) for thorough Audit and be able to send documents to the delegates at least 30 days before the General Assembly as required in the FUFA Statutes
Tangible Results;
1) FUFA has been able to increase its expenditure on Salaries for Staff, National Team Coaches and Players Allowances, FUFA Bodies sitting Allowances.
2) FUFA has remained a going concern with the many multiple development projects that have been successfully completed or are in progress
3) The Approved budget that starts in January is now approved in September and consequently no unauthorised expenditures will be done
3) Legal
In my manifesto, I promised that FUFA will draw new and amend current Statutes, Regulations, Policies and Procedures to ensure compliance and effectiveness.
It is the obligation of FUFA to ensure that the assets of FUFA are protected and contracts of FUFA with other parties are in line with the interests of the Members and the development of the game.
FUFA has had to withstand a wave of suits against itself and its officials. Various government offices have been approached by a group of people who will not let football development take place
Before;
Many people have used the inexistent, inapplicable, and weak statutes and regulations to undermine the various programmes and activities of association football. The Supremacy of the FUFA Statutes to control all forms of football was being contested in courts of law.
The co-existence of the two legal regimes of “The laws of the Republic of Uganda” and “Association Football Regulations” was not streamlined and was causing confusion
The FUFA Assets were at risk
The future of FUFA had become uncertain to wither the storm of impending disbandment
Our intervention and Achievements;
1) FUFA recruited a full time Legal Officer. This has expedited a number of outstanding legal challenges that have lasted years.
We no longer have to commit the FUFA CEO to court cases at the expense of the other secretariat duties. Now the Legal Committee receives more finite matters to discuss than before.
It has been a worthwhile decision to recruit a young and dynamic professional
2) Considering the fact that football is dynamic, changes in and enactment of new statutes and regulations is paramount.
We have since drawn or amended the following Statutes and regulations;
a) The FUFA Statutes
b) The FUFA Competitions Rules
c) The FUFA Regulations for the Status and Transfer of Players
d) The Regulations for the Intermediaries
e) Club Ownership and Registration
f) Specific Competition Rules
g) FUFA Club Licensing Regulations
h) The Referees Manual
3) The amendment of the FUFA Statutes have now clarified that FUFA is an Association that owns a company called FUFA Ltd.
The clears the confusion that was being propagated that FUFA is a company owned by 3 shareholders that was being propagated by detractors
4) We have used our reach-out programme to explain the position of FUFA to the offices of HE the President of the Republic of Uganda, Rt Honourable Prime Minister, the Ministry of Education, the National Council of Sports, the Courts of Law, the Parliament, the Inspector General of Government, the Auditor General, and the Uganda Police.
We have been able to position FUFA as an organisation that is law abiding and working to transform our nation using football development
5) Together with our legal committee and the FUFA lawyers, we have been able to successfully fend off a wave of 9 fresh court cases in the past 2 years and contained the debris of cases from the previous years against FUFA and its Officials.
It has come at a cost in resources that would have been utilised for the Development of the game but the alternative would have affected development too if FUFA lost such cases
6) We have patented and registered the following FUFA Trademarks;
The FUFA Logo
The Phrase “Uganda Cranes”
The Phrase “It is Our Game, It is Our Country”
The Name “Uganda Premier League”
The Abbreviation “FUFA”
Many others are also being registered and these give FUFA the exclusive usage of the patents registered and this does not only fend off impostors but also create commercial value by sale of exclusive usage if these trademarks
7) Despite our position that a new modern law that suits the time is urgently enacted, FUFA has fulfilled and submitted to the NCS all the requirements (save for only incorporation) to be issued with a certificate of Registration as required by the 2014 Statutory instruments drawn by the Minister of Educations and Sports.
Although the implementation of the regulations is under injunctive orders by Court, and inspired by the fact that many other Sports Federations that have not complied to even 50% of the Regulations have been registered, FUFA is engaging NCS to correctly interpret and apply the requirement to incorporate which incorporation causes FUFA to lose Membership to FIFA
8) Currently on-going is to ensure that the assets of FUFA and Title Documents are properly in the control of the organisation. The office of the IGG advised on a number of recommendations that are being pursued for the better of the organization.
Tangible Results;
7) The in-house service of the Legal officer has caused the expeditious response to contracts between FUFA and its Sponsors. The staff employment contracts have been completed. The acquisition of the licenses by FUFA to operate certain functionality is also under due course and the letters received and being written by FUFA are legally scrutinised.
8) There is improved contractual relationship with the Sponsors and third parties
9) The contractual relationship and stability between intermediaries, coaches, players and Clubs will now be improved with the new regulations amongst others
10) The Government is now considering enacting a new law for Sports and considers FUFA a partner in development of the nation. There is expected improved funding
11) FUFA assets will be more secure and more commercial value is expected from the patented FUFA trademarks
4) Secretariat
In my manifesto, I promised to reorganise the institution to be able to deliver the objectives of the members and the entire general public
Before;
The FUFA secretariat did not have enough expertise and number of staff to undertake the implementation role. We had many volunteers in key positions. FUFA House did not provide the home to football as a lot of official business took place elsewhere. We conducted a lot of football business from our private premises.
Our intervention and Achievements;
1) We have recruited the following fulltime staff;
a. Communications Manager
b. Marketing Manager and Officer
c. Legal Manager
d. Education Officer
e. National Teams Officer
f. And many hitherto temporary staff have been made permanent
2) The staff are more motivated now with the increase of salaries from 8m to about 35m per month. We are yet to pay to attract and hold onto the best personnel. We have introduced a few non-monetary incentives to motivate the staff. We pay them in the bank.
3) The premises of FUFA House have been enhanced to accommodate all the staff. We are also housing the 102.1 FUFA fm and the Merchandise Shop. The Technical Staff have now moved to Njeru Technical Centre. The FUFA House Reception has been enhanced to give the corporate image we want to sell. The Board Room and many offices have been equipped with new furniture
4) We have bought cars for the CEO, the Radio, and Secretariat and have maintained the Bus and TD’s Car. We plan to procure appropriate cars for the CEO, TD, Marketing, and also the Bus needs major overhaul of its body and interior
5) The Wi-Fi internet service was installed at FUFA and all regional offices will soon be connected to high speed internet from our sponsors-Airtel. We now have a centralised office e-mail system xx@fufauganda.com
Tangible Results;
1) We have improved on service delivery to football internally and externally
2) The improved efficiency has made us reduce on resource waste
3) Recording Keeping and information sharing has greatly increased
4) There is less need to depend on volunteers as after acquiring fulltime expert and experienced staff
5) The image of FUFA has been enhanced and visitors feel more assured to be served
6) All these translate into better football Products and Services
5) FIFA & CAF Interventions
FUFA’s affiliation to FIFA and CAF comes along with Development Benefits and if utilised properly could spring Development of Football
Before;
FUFA has received the Bonus Payment and CAF Development Funding before but because of the challenges of funding the National Teams, a great chunk of these resources could not be utilised to develop the game and there was therefore nothing to show.
FUFA did not have a co-ordinated business execution plan and the education budget was not reliable
Our intervention and Achievements;
• We have held bilateral meetings with the FIFA and CAF Presidents and many interventions have been received
• The FIFA Bonus has been utilised on a tangible acquisition (102.1 FUFA fm)
• FIFA Goal IV kicked off and has been completed and we are due for Goal V
• FIFA Performance Programme has helped align FUFA Business execution,
• Live your Goals, Grassroots, Com-Unity, Marketing Tutorage and Coaching Education support have been undertaken through our good relationship with FIFA
FIFA Goal V
We have decided to undertake acquisition of playgrounds in the 8 Regions. Western at Ntungamo, Eastern at Walukuba Jinja and Soroti Municipal for North Eastern Region are the only areas we have identified and almost concluding transfer of Land Titles into the names of FUFA.
The FIFA Evaluation team is coming in October 2015 to evaluate the feasibility of the Project.
We have 800,000 USD earmarked for Goal V and we believe we could get a better pitch, dressing rooms, and offices for the Regional Offices at the very minimum. Only areas where Land has been availed in the names of FUFA will be considered as we cannot use this small resource to acquire Land
6) Communications
In my manifesto, I promised that FUFA will create and implement a communications strategy with the objectives of Brand Building, Public Relations (Image Protection), Mobilisation and Creating Unity in the football family.
I also promised that we shall use reconciliation, listening to divergent views and going into the faces of those with a different opinion
Before;
The FUFA Communication Plan that we had built over years depended on a media committee of volunteers with a volunteer chairman who was also a member of the FUFA Executive Committee and probably without much expertise in the entire communication edge save for the media
FUFA was very alive for Press Conferences, Press Releases, Media House visits with an emerging website and that was all. Whereas this was a huge effort compared to 8 years before, it was not enough considering the rapid growth of the communication desires to standout in a crowd of brands competing for the same resource basket
Our intervention and Achievements;
1) We hired a fulltime Communication professional staff who had excelled and created links in the Uganda Sports Media. He has been trained by CAF and FIFA. He is responsible for the design and implementation of the entire communications strategy
2) FUFA now operates a properly designed communications policy. Our official communications platform is purely about football development and not football politics. We are more professional and we do not operate confrontational and disrespectful communication even in divergence of opinion. Concerned persons are given the platform to speak about their areas of expertise or lines of duty
3) We have conducted a national symposium to obtain the ideas of many of the stakeholders as we promised in the manifesto and we intend to do it annually. This game birth to the 2019 Project Cameroon
4) We have engaged government on many occasions and we currently enjoy a very good reception and support by the Office of HE the President, HE the Vice President, The Right Honourable Prime Minister, the various Ministries, the Right Honourable Speaker and Members of Parliament, the Judiciary, the Uganda Police, the UPDF and the various government agencies. The attendance of these various dignitaries for our events is by strategy, design and efforts
5) We also now operate a deliberately designed communication strategy with the following tools;
Digital Platform;
Facebook; The official Facebook page has been created currently with over 16,000 likes and this ranks us among the top 30 brands in Uganda. We use our official page to make online updates of events such football matches and meetings
Twitter; The official twitter handle has been created currently with over 3,000 followers and this ranks us among the top 50 individual and brand rankings in Uganda. We use our official handle to make online updates of events such football matches and meetings
Website; We have revamped in design and content the official website of FUFA.
It is buzzing with hourly updates stories and also contains static information of our Statutes, Regulations, Circulars, our history and news from our members
Emailing List; We have created a large mailing database list targeting internal and external audiences. Links to our website and social media platform as are shared
External platform;
We have made timely sharing our communication with FIFA and CAF digital media and many of our stories have been shred with the World Audience
Conventional Print and Electronic Medial;
We organize professionally our Press Conferences right from invitation, to execution and follow up by sharing of the official written Press Conference Material (Audio, Video, Textual and Pictorial). We run our Press Conference Live and after on 102.1 FUFA fm
We distribute massively our professionally prepared Press Releases
We also prepare and distribute the video and audio material where the media may not be able to reach in time
The Official Spokesperson runs a bi-weekly column in one of the biggest daily print media and occasionally FUFA official run articles on topical issues in the Print Media
Brand Communication
FUFA has acquired its own Public Address System such that the opportunity to communicate at all events is assured and unlimited
We have also produced branding materials such Press Backdrops, Pitch Boards, and tier-drops that are strategically positioned at events we are associated with
We have created FUFA branded memorabilia such as pens and notebooks
We have created various brand identities for the various brands under FUFA
Our official vehicles have large FUFA Logo Stickers and many small stickers are shared on the many vehicles of football fans
The FUFA Executive Committee has been provided with branded designer suits and this will also be extended to Staff, Delegates, Uganda Cranes and International Referees
We have distributed the official Uganda Cranes Jersey to all FUFA Course Attendants, Delegates, Staff, etc
We have also named Bebe Cool as Uganda Cranes Ambassador to enhance the brand to newer markets
Electronic Newsletter
We are currently producing and distributing a monthly Electronic News Letter. We get the opportunity to say our stories in our own words. This has been a massive tool for those who want to Print and read at leisure or keep a record
BI-annual Printed Magazine
We have also approved the Print of the 6-month Magazine starting June-Dec 2015.
The first edition is in final stages
FM Radio Audience:
We acquired the now mighty 102.1 FUFA fm.
This Radio has been a massive addition as we run authentic information, educate and entertain out listeners.
We are also shocked by the growth rate of listener ship beyond the projections we had estimated.
The impact is already being observed with the return of fans to the League after a series of live commentary of our league games
FUFA Media Centre:
For the FUFA General Assembly, AFCON and WC Qualifier Matches, we have now introduced a media centre where only accredited media that are nominated by the various media houses are given facilities like Internet, working tables, television screens, privacy, printing services and snacks. This provides them an environment to share with the World the proceedings of the events
6) We receive all feedback on our various feedback channels that include the social media. We do not take any criticism lightly and where we find need to adjust in our operations or to take responsibility, we do it with pride. We respect the views of our dear fans
7) We have engaged and continue to reach out to many hitherto negative energy persons. Those that have agreed to contribute to the game, we have given them an opportunity and football is benefitting from their positive energy now. We continue to run an open door policy for whoever wants to contribute to the game. We encourage dialogue and reconciliation
Tangible Results;
4) We have achieved increased Brand Awareness and Brand Equity. The volume of sponsorship has not accidentally increased but these efforts
5) We offered the audience with an alternative to information that had hitherto always gone incorrect but unchallenged and many an occasion taken as facts
6) We have reduced on the wrangles and negative energy using reconciliation, listening to people with divergent views, explaining ourselves and being non-confrontational
7) The numbers of fans consuming Ugandan football such the Azam Uganda Premier League is steadily increasing
There is still a lot to be done but considering the 2-years so far, we believe this has been a great job done. The impact of the current intervention so far in the communication Agenda is yet to be fully enjoyed yet with more initiatives and investments we shall achieve more
7) Refereeing
In my manifesto, I said Referees are very central to the development of the game. They are the judges whose decisions have no appeal. I promised to improve the number and expertise of Referees. The Independence of decision making by the referees and recruitment of Young Referees were my priorities.
Before;
The Referees operations in Uganda did not have any rulebook governing their operations but had good practices. The FRSC was less independent in decision making and patronage to the FUFA Executive Committee and FRSC members was the rated above performance. We did not have any International Beach Soccer Referees and neither did we have a woman referees’ fitness instructor
Our intervention and Achievements;
1) We have written a Referees Manual, the first of its kind on how matters of Refereeing are being managed
2) FUFA Referees Fitness Instructors have been appointed and trained
3) The FRSC has been expanded to include 4 independent panels of three (3) persons per panel. The panels include one for Appointments, Technical and Education, Assessment and General Monitoring. They are each chaired by Members of the FRSC. This brings a total of 13 people working at committee level in addition to the Referees Manual
4) Referees fitness tests are conducted transparently and they are a minimum requirement
5) Only 100 Men and Women Referees and Assistant Referees have been issued with National Badges as recommended by the Regional Association. Only National Referees shall be appointed for the Uganda Premier League, FUFA Big League and the Uganda Cup after the Round of 64
6) Each Regional Association has been given a quota of referees to propose for the National Badges
7) In the budget for 2016 we have increased the Referees Allowances and facilitation to an average of 120,000 UGX from 70,000UGX per match official
8) We are reducing on the arrears for the Referees of the Azam Uganda Premier League and with the upcoming payments, we believe by January 2016 we should have cleared all the arrears
9) We now pay Referees through their Bank accounts
Challenges;
The remuneration in amounts and time of payment is still lacking and must be improved in the next financial year.
Outstanding Arrears
Performance of referees is still lacking
8) Marketing
In my manifesto, I promised that FUFA will open up revenue streams to generate more resources for the development of the game. I am proud to report that we have made huge steps in this area although it is still work in progress. The strategy was through Brand Building and Revenue Generation
Before;
FUFA dependent on a standing committee of volunteers to look for sponsors. There was no clear KPI and targets for the committee. There was no ownership on the FUFA Trademarks. The revenue generated from sponsorship depended on what the sponsors wished to pay. FUFA had a cash value from Sponsorship of about 600m UGX annually. Only the Uganda Cranes attracted Sponsorship and Our Existing Sponsors did not have a clear point of contact inside FUFA.
Our intervention and Achievements;
1) We created a fulltime marketing department with 3 professional staff. They have been trained by FIFA. They are responsible for Brand Building, and Revenue Generation. We have an able marketing committee that draws the policy and guidelines. We drew a strategy and we are just starting to reap.
2) The FUFA Brand has been enhanced through brand visibility at Our Events, the Digital Media and the contemporary Print and Electronic Media. We rebranded and created a new identity through the new logo and changed the Uganda Cranes home and away shirt designs
3) We have extended the popularity of the Uganda Cranes Brand to the regions using the Namutima Programme where the Uganda Cranes played in Mbarara, Soroti, Gulu and Masindi. This Programme continues
4) The annual corporate tournament in Njeru was about bringing the corporates to Njeru Technical centre while the FUFA 11 has been revamped. All these are aimed at brand building
5) The acquisition of 102.1 FUFA fm has enhanced our various brands with adverts and live commentary from the events
6) Appointing Opinion Leaders like Bebe Cool as Uganda Cranes Ambassador has endeared the Uganda Cranes brand to new markets
7) We have also curved out brand identity for other 11 FUFA brands although the Uganda Cranes remain the flagship brand. We have drawn brand guidelines.
8) FUFA now legally owns its trademarks in accordance with the laws of the Republic of Uganda
9) We have come out through our vibrant communications department to protect the image of FUFA by being proactive and clarifying where FUFA is presented wrongly
10) We created a policy to give commission to all persons and companies that cause more revenue generation to FUFA. This has enhanced interest of many people who come to FUFA to provide business solutions
11) We opened up the FUFA Merchandise Shop and Revenue from original replica jerseys has been registered for the very first time
Tangible Results;
The ultimate prize to all these efforts is generating more revenue. Currently FUFA is earning about 3.45 Billion UGX in Cash from our various Sponsors and Partners from 600m UGX. This is just the beginning as many deals are being negotiated by our marketing team
We can now say we are proudly Sponsored by;
1) Airtel Uganda
2) Azam Pay TV
3) Nile Breweries
4) BIDCO
5) National Insurance Corporation
The Uganda Cranes brand is endeared to many Ugandans and HE President has come out also to finance the team
We still have a lot to do to be able to generate enough resources to finance our 10-yearGrand Master Plan
9) Technical
In my manifesto, I promised that there will be a deliberate long term technical development agenda for football in Uganda.
Before;
Although FUFA had the Long Term Development Plan, it was not being followed. The Technical Director was more involved with the Senior National Team than the development category. The Technical Department was composed of only the TD
Our intervention and Achievements;
1) We have since drawn and followed an Annual Technical Development Plan with the help FIFA
2) We reorganised the Technical Department and provided them with more office space at the Technical Centre in Njeru. More technical and permanent staff have been recruited
3) The following activities in the plan have been undertaken;
a) Women football
• FIFA Com-Unity was launched in Uganda and this has caused a very positive, professional and unprecedented coverage from the media.
• FIFA Live Your Goals programme was launched and has rolled out
• FUFA Organised and completed successfully the Inaugural 12-team FUFA Women Elite League
• FIFA course for coaches handling women football teams
• Over 300 balls have been distributed for women football activities
• FUFA procured 12 sets and also Received 12 sets of Equipment from FIFA which was handed over to all the 12 teams playing in the FWEL
• The Women’s Day also known as Mama Becca Cup was successfully organised and funded by FUFA.
b) Youth
• Uganda Youth Football Association was admitted as a Full Member to FUFA
• 4 Schools thus have signed the FUFA Schools of Excellence Memorandum. The rest will be added on as soon as they are ready to sign
• The U17 National Football Team participated in the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations Championship only to lose to Zambia at the final stage. The team played very entertaining football wining home and away against Seychelles and Rwanda. We intend to register in the U20 Africa Championship where we believe the boys will regroup to be developed at this level
• The inaugural FUFA Juniors League (U-17) was started and organised to Conclusion. For the 2015/6 Season, it is mandatory for the Azam Uganda Premier League Clubs to own and present for competition their U17 Teams
• We continue to run the Airtel Rising Stars that have unearthed players like Farouk Miya and Martin Kiiza now with the Uganda Cranes
• The FIFA Grassroot Programme was launched after FUFA signed with the Ministry of Education and Sports and the Ministry of Local Government. The Programme continues to Roll Out after conducting events in Kawempe, Rubaga, Makindye, Central, Nakawa and Jinja
c) National Teams
• Uganda Cranes Engaged in the 2015 AFCON Qualifiers where we missed to qualify narrowly. From then we launched the Project Cameroon 2019 and all other competitions in between are only a process but not the end. We have embarked onto the 2017 AfCON Qualifiers winning both the first 2 games. This is the first time in the history of Uganda Cranes to register 6 points with 4 more games to go. We are also engaged in CHAN undertaking Sudan in the final pair of matches to qualify to 2016 CHAN Rwanda.
• In general, since the 31st August 2013, the Uganda Cranes has played Uganda Cranes has played 32 matches winning 18, drawing 5 and losing 9. This includes the International Friendlies, CECAFA, CHAN, AFCON and World Cup Qualifiers and CHAN Finals. We have also registered 3 away wins which is unprecedented.
• The U23 failed to get past Mozambique in the All Africa Games but provided enough experience for the Olympic Qualifiers to get past Rwanda until Egypt stopped us.
• We have also started the Regional Tours together with Nile Breweries and Airtel. The crowds have been overwhelming and I must say both Airtel and Nile are very excited about this programme. We can also report that 7 players from those that have played against the Uganda Cranes from the regions have been signed by Azam Uganda Premier League Clubs. Our journey has taken us through Mbarara, Soroti, Gulu and Masindi
d) Beach Soccer
Whereas very many Beach Soccer Competitions and courses are organised, it was the first time Uganda Presented the Sand Cranes (National Team for Beach Soccer) in a CAF Competition when we played against Ghana on a home and Away Basis.
We also now have international Beach Soccer Referees for the very first time
e) Education:
We have undertaken a multitude of Courses in Administration like the FOMACO I course that targeted 200 Administrators from the Member Associations, the Club CEOs, the CAF Certification Courses for the CAF-A, CAF-B and CAF-C.
We have also conducted FUFA-1, FUFA-2 Courses and various Beginners Courses for Coaches. Many Referees Courses have also been conducted at National Level. From FIFA, the Elite Referees Refresher and Elite Coaches Courses were organised.
We have also sent Referees and Fitness Instructors to FIFA Courses.
f) Technical Centre
The technical Centre has been improved with the completion of the FIFA Goal IV. As FUFA we have also made the centre buzzing with many activities ranging from competitions to courses.
The President, the entire Executive Committee, the Uganda Cranes senior team, Elite Coaches and Referees have resided at the centre
We installed the Hydro Power and will soon complete the installation of a 30kVA Generator provided by the Uganda Cranes Sponsors-National Insurance Company. It is now the home of the FUFA Technical Department
All this notwithstanding there is a lot of work to be done to make the centre a better home
10) Competitions
Football Competitions are the face of any organisation. This is when football meets with the fans. If they are not properly organised, the will affect everything else
Our intervention and Achievements;
1) We have recruited 3 full time staff instead of the sole volunteer Secretary of Competitions
2) The e-License Plus now is implemented from the Regional level
3) Training for TMS and e-License is done regularly
4) The FUFA Calendar is now clearly outlined and followed
5) More competitions Regulations have been improved or introduced
6) The Rotation of the Uganda Cup finals continues to be exciting although measures must be put in place to avoid what happened in Ntungamo
7) The Search Bureau has been opened and rules have been drawn of its usage
8) The transfer of players internationally has been improved with the centralization of Data
9) We have supported all other competitions organised by authorised entities
11) Club Football
One of the key pillars required for qualification to AFCON 2019 Cameroon is Club Football. Players, Coaches, Referees and Administrators are only produced by Clubs. It is therefore important that FUFA and the Clubs continue to work together to professionalise Club Football in Uganda
Before;
From running two leagues to confusion of the sponsors and unending wrangles is what characterised the Premier League. The FUFA Big League Clubs were paying for referees. The Fans attendances were very low and clubs ownership and licensing was not enforced
Our intervention and Achievements;
1) We have resolved the challenges of the Uganda Premier League Sponsorship and after signing the charter by 15 of the 16 Clubs, we are sure that we have finally fixed the loopholes that caused the discomfort
2) Azam Uganda Premier League is now telecast Live on Azam TV
3) The return of rivalry between SC Villa, KCCA and Express FC has met the new boys on the block in Vipers SC, URA FC and the newly promoted teams from the Big League are really prepared for the top flight. The future is bright
4) We obtained Sponsorship to relieve FBL clubs from paying Referees
5) Club Ownership for the Premier League has been sorted
6) Players of the Premier League are now registered along with their National Passports
7) Club Licensing has created Standards such as minimum of CAF-B Coaches, Club CEOs trained by FUFA, U-17 Teams and other governance realignments
8) The fans turn up has started building
9) KCCA FC put up a good show in CECAFA Club competitions while URA FC managed to transfer one player to Orlando Pirates after their run in the CAF Confederations Cup
10) The FSL Board will now be vetoed by the FUFA Executive Committee and this has solved any divergences hitherto created by negative forces in the league management
Conclusion
It is therefore my call to the FUFA Members through the Delegates to the FUFA General Assembly that we continue to support the FUFA Executive Committee and the other bodies of FUFA to achieve our entire objectives
It is Our Game, It is Our Country
