Institutional vs community clubs, Magogo right this time!

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OPINION

By Ali Ssekatawa

Football in Uganda naturally attracts passionate and organic support. Despite this deep connection with fans, the game has been struggling for nearly two decades as match attendance continues to dwindle, especially in the Uganda Premier League and Big League. Clubs that were once household names, such as SC Villa, Express FC, Mbale Heroes, Masaka LC, Iganga FC, and Lyantonde FC, are now barely visible, surviving mostly on history. Even the more recent success stories like Onduparaka FC, Nyamitobora FC, and Arua Hill have fallen back into lower divisions.

This decline is not surprising. A simple look at the current top-flight league shows that the clubs that are holding fort are mainly institutional teams. These include KCCA, NEC, Police FC, UPPC FC, URA, BUL, UPDF, and Maroons. The only non‑institutional club that appears to be operating steadily is Vipers SC, and SC Villa, though even for them, the question of sustainability is still open.

Although I have fundamentally disagreed with FUFA President Moses Magogo’s approach to football development, particularly his long‑term undermining of the league structure, in favour of overreliance on the national team, I fully support his recent proposal to phase out institutional clubs and instead require institutions and companies to sponsor community clubs. I hope he has finally realised that the national team is a reflection of the League (which is a feeder). Those who focus on the garden will get good harvests.

My support for this idea comes from experience. As the former chairman of URA FC until 2017, I witnessed firsthand the advantages and constraints of running an institutional club. Under my leadership, URA FC won three national trophies, one regional title—the Mapenduzi Cup—and participated twice in the CAF Champions League but hardly raised any fans. I also founded Nyamityobora FC, a community club that spent over eight years in regional football before rising to the Big League and eventually earning a season in the Uganda Premier League, before it was eventually relegated just after one season. Having managed both types of clubs, I understand their differences and operational challenges.

One truth stands out. Nyamityobora, despite its limited resources, had a level of community ownership and identity that institutional clubs often lack. Yet the latter have the resources and corporate structures that community clubs are yearning for.

Institutions/companies invest in football for brand affinity, and good will acceptability. The communities need identity and pride. The two interests are complementary and can co-exist. This is the main reason why Magogo’s proposal deserves support. If nothing changes, the league may eventually be filled only with institutional clubs while traditional giants disappear entirely. Transforming the league into a commercially attractive product requires giving ownership back to communities. Football survives on numbers, and true numbers come from fan‑driven clubs.

Around the world, even clubs that began as company teams eventually transitioned into community‑oriented structures. Bayern Munich is one of the best-known examples. The strongest leagues in Europe, the United States, South America, and even Saudi Arabia are built around community‑rooted systems despite being surrounded by large corporations. Nowhere do companies run clubs successfully without a strong fan base at the centre. Without community support, there is no sponsorship value, no strong branding, and no emotional connection. This is exactly what Ugandan football has been missing.

Consideration for other strategic interventions – such as incentives that grant companies tax credits for sports expenses and investments, waivers for sports inputs, and investments in Corporate Social Responsibility (Sports), being one of the criteria for award of public contracts, and land allocations. These should be integrated into legal National Provisions like Sports and Tax laws.

Magogo’s proposed shift is a necessary step. Supporting this reform could be the spark needed to revive Ugandan football, restore community identity, and rebuild the competitiveness and passion that once defined the game in this country.

The writer is a former Chairman URA FC, founder President of Nyamitobora FC and Director Legal & Corporate Affairs at the PAU

ali.ssekatawa@pau.go.ug