Now is the time to sponsor women's football

Finance Trust Bank will become the new title sponsor for Uganda's top two women’s football divisions.

The five-year partnership, which is understood to be worth 2 billion shillings will commence at the start of the 2024/2025 season and both competitions will be rebranded Finance Trust Bank Women’s Super League and Finance Trust Bank Women’s Elite League. 

Such an investment in the women’s game in Uganda is a new concept since it is the first of its kind and it can change the trajectory of the women’s football journey in the next five years. 

Upon the deal announcement last week, Federation for Uganda Football Association President, Moses Magogo stated they will be working together with the commercial bank to raise the profile of women’s game in Uganda. 

With 1.7 billion shillings that will be allocated directly to FUFA and accompanied by annual disbursements worth 350 million, it is a genuine opportunity to grow the market and explore other untapped opportunities.

The women’s game market has been overlooked due to its lack of sponsorship which stems from not producing a good product worth selling.

Various women’s football teams from both the top division and the second tier have been struggling to sustain themselves every season because of negligible funding or sponsorship available, making it very hard to do business during transfers thus affecting the performance of many teams due to lack of quality players and depth in the squad. 

When FUFA rebranded the Women's Elite League to the Women's Super League in 2019, the idea was to create healthy rivalries from both competitions that would then attract audiences and hence generate revenue to grow the game.

Secondly, it provides a bigger platform for the current and upcoming female talent to showcase their talent at a recognized level. 

Fundamentally, it raised the profile of women’s domestic football to a certain extent, but the big discrepancy among the Women's Super League teams created a rift and derailed the progress of the game. 

Take, for instance, the likes of Kampala Queens, Kawempe Muslims, and UCU Lady Cardinals have been the dominant sides since the league’s inception in 2015 until She Corporates and Lady Doves changed the status quo in the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

The latter could not carve out their rightful place because they did not have the potential to compete with the best.

This lucrative deal can inspire a new story and captivate rivals within the leagues but most importantly encourage other brands to embrace the commercial potential of women’s football.