Gloria Aya is a goal defender for NIC, currently playing at the East Africa Netball Club Championships in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. This is Aya’s second appearance at the biggest netball tournament in East Africa.

Her debut at the East Africa Netball Club Championships was in 2023, shortly after joining NIC. During that tournament, she was voted the Most Valuable Player (MVP) for her crucial role in helping NIC secure its 21st title. Aya regards this as the pinnacle of her netball career.

"The first championship impacted me a lot. I gained experience, courage, and confidence despite still being in high school. It gave me a platform to become one of the best netball players in the country. Being awarded the MVP signaled to the netball community that I can," Aya explained with delight.

Her coach, Rashid Mubiru, takes pride in Aya’s aggressiveness, saying that with such a character, the sky is the limit.

“Aya is young and fit. She mastered the art of goal-defending with ease. She is a multipurpose player; apart from goal defending, she can play goalkeeping and wing attack,” Mubiru emphasized.

Like the rest of the players, 21-year-old Aya hopes to play for the national netball team, the She Cranes, and eventually turn professional.

“So far, Aya is one of the best defenders in the country. I expected to see her at the test series in England. I hope national team coaches realize that young, aggressive players need to be given a chance and nurtured. When a player joins the team young, her stay on the team lasts longer than one who joins later,” Mubiru highlighted.

Before transitioning to netball, Aya participated in athletics from primary school until her senior two in 2018.

“I was doing athletics from primary to senior two, but I dropped it when I gained weight and thought that I could no longer run. When I joined Ngando Senior Secondary School in Butambala,” Aya explained. “I knew nothing about netball. All I had was height. They were interested in me and taught me the game. That’s why I play it today.”

She later joined St. Noa Girls Zzana, where NIC spotted her during her second term in senior six last year.

The East Africa Netball Championship, which started on 13 May in Dar es Salaam, is set to end on 21 May. Uganda is represented by four teams: NIC and Prisons in the female category, and WOB and Kampala University in the male category.