This year’s edition of the Uganda Secondary Schools Sports Association (USSSA) national boys’ football championships slots are up for grabs at different zones in the country.

According to the USSSA mapping, 19 zones countrywide are allocated differently in the number of slots that make the teams that represent these zones at the national level, and this is according to their teams’ performance at the previous national competition.

From the allocations and mapping, Ankole Zone is allocated 4 boys’ teams slots, the positions that will be vied for when this zonal competition kicks on Wednesday, April 10 to 14 at St John Fisher Ibanda SS in Ibanda district.

Over the years, it has always been qualification to the national championship first and title aspirations later, to many a coach and games teachers in this highly competitive Ankole zone, this year does not prove any different.

“We are going to Ibanda with the major aim of reaching the semifinals, so we can get through to the national level, and from there, we shall make fresh plans of winning the title. We are Mbarara City champions and this gives us the challenge of working hard so to represent the city at a higher level,” said Welden School coach Noa Mugerwa.

Ntungamo district champions Muntuyera High School Kitunga has never won this accolade but like Welden, they sound not different from their targets in Ibanda.

“We want to win the title because our boys are young and talented and although it is competition and we have to compete with the rest, our boys want this crown, but of course, qualification to the national championship is the main target because we have qualified to this stage 5 times before and ever reached the quarter-finals as well,” Said team manager and games teacher Evans Tayebwa.

The five-day apiece will see successful secondary school teams from the 12 districts and one City of Mbarara, represent their areas after having played to the best positions in the respective districts.

The draws of the competition were made last week where teams taking part were drawn in 16 groups of 4 teams each, which will see successful teams in each group battle for the round of 32 and then the round of 16 before the quarter-finals, semifinals, and finals.

On arrival in Ibanda on Wednesday, the teams will go under mandatory screening before going for the first group matches later in the evening and zonal chairman Egidio Mucunguzi has warned teams of carrying along ineligible players.

“We are warning teams to avoid bringing along ineligible players because these games have rules and regulations against such and if any school is found guilty, the rules will apply,” Mucunguzi said.

By the USSSA rules, no student player is allowed to feature in the games when they have repeated a class, are above 19 years, don’t go to school at all, or have not been registered on the USSSA online registration process.

The zone is from holding the girls football championship that climaxed on Sunday, April 7 where Boni Consilii Girls Isingiro beat record holders Sheema Girls 3-0 to lift the trophy for the first time and the two finalists were joined by Kyeizooba Girls and Shuuku Vocational as zonal representatives to the national championship due at Ndejje SS April 26-May 5