Boni Consilii Girls’ team skips festive break for CAF GIFT tournament

The Uganda Secondary Schools Sports Association (USSSA) national U16 girls’ football champions, Boni Consilii, will skip Christmas celebrations with their families.

This comes after the team entered residential training at Old Kampala SS last week in preparation for the CAF-organized U17 Girls Integrated Football Tournament (GIFT) pilot project CECAFA edition, scheduled for January 5-18, 2025, in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.

The timing of the event may not allow the team members to take a break for the festive season, as this would disrupt their preparation.

According to team manager Primus Ngabirano, the team of 33 will undergo vigorous training before 22 are selected to make the trip to Dar Es Salaam.

“We have decided to shift camp from Isingiro to Kampala to give our players more exposure as we play build-up matches and train on both turf and grass surfaces, so that when we reach Tanzania, they are not challenged,” Ngabirano said.

The GIFT tournament is the first of its kind organized by CAF for the development of girls’ football on the continent, where teams/clubs will compete in the six CAF regions before a grand finale of the successful teams later this year.

Boni Consilii earned their spot after winning the USSSA U16 championship held at Teso College Aloet in September, following a 4-1 penalty shootout win over 2023 champions Kawempe Moslem after a 0-0 draw in normal time.

The news of their selection to represent Uganda was warmly received by the school administration and caused great excitement throughout the school community.

“As Boni Consilii School, we are so excited for this big step towards nurturing a girl child holistically by developing their talents, especially in sports and football specifically. It also shows a reward for hard work for these girls and the school at large,” said School Headmistress Rev. Sr. Gracemary Naturinda.

She added, “Representing this country at this big tournament, the first of its kind, is something that we are greatly excited about. We give glory to God for always reigning in the work of our hands. Our girls will go to Tanzania and work hard for a good representation of our country and to showcase their God-given abilities.”

USSSA has pledged to support the team with accommodation, feeding, transport to and from Tanzania, and an out-of-pocket allowance of $100 for each of the 20 players and 2 officials.