NIC and St. Noa dominate National Netball Rally Championship in Masaka

Club Category

Women: NIC

Men: WOB

Secondary Schools

St. Noa Secondary School

National Insurance Corporation (NIC) Netball Club and St. Noa Secondary School continued their netball dominance by winning the National Netball Rally Championship in Masaka on Saturday.

Despite losing 20–19 to KCCA, NIC won all their other games in the round-robin tournament, beating Police, UPDF, and Weyonje by comfortable margins. KCCA finished second, while Weyonje took third place.

In the men’s competition, WOB successfully defended their title by defeating all opponents, including Legends and Kampala University.

In the university category, Makerere University emerged champions, followed by Uganda Christian University in second place.

St. Noa Secondary School defeated traditional rivals King's College Budo 18–15 in a closely contested final at Kaddugala Secondary School playground in Masaka. St. Noa led 10–9 at halftime before closing out the game to defend their trophy.

Team captain Tricia Nalumansi credited the victory to teamwork and hard work, adding that winning the national championship and the East Africa championship is now their top priority.

“Budo is always a tough side, but we were composed, and teamwork helped us cruise to the win. This is just the beginning. We have no time to relax because there are the nationals and the East Africa championship ahead,” Nalumansi said.

Coach Jonathan Ssempijja echoed her words, saying that winning the nationals was a dream come true.

Road to the Final

To reach the final, Budo eliminated St. Mary's Secondary School Kitende with a 16–13 win, while St. Noa beat Humdan Islamic School 20–18 in the semifinal.

Netball Uganda president Jocelyn Ucanda thanked the National Council of Sports for providing trophies, medals, and balls to all participating teams. She promised more tournaments to help the federation identify talent from across the country and build a strong, consistent She Cranes team.

“I want to thank all the sponsors, including UPDF, Kaddugala Secondary School for hosting the tournament, and NCS Secretary General Dr. Bernard Ogwel for providing the trophies and medals,” Ucanda said.

She also expressed gratitude to the managers and institutions that participated, noting that this year's tournament attracted 63 teams, up from 34 teams in Busia last year.