After winning her first MVP award with NIC at the East Africa Netball Club Championships, which won her the Fortebet Real Stars Award for May, NIC Netball Club’s versatile player Gloria Aya now wants to win a similar award at the Federation of East Africa Secondary Schools Sports Association (FEASSSA) games scheduled from August 17-27.

Aya, a form six student at St. Noah Zana was instrumental as her side that signed her this season from Luwero defended the East Africa championship in Nairobi last month.

“This a very good win for me because it was my first time to participate in such a championship and win it with NIC; but it is also a good win for NIC who produced two nominees,” Aya said.

“It has also given me the courage to go back to school and work hard to win the MVP award since we are going for the East Africa Games in Rwanda so I will push and work hard to be the MVP there as well.

“It was down to hard work and concentration and always praying because I think that’s what I needed to do to emerge winner,” the versatile Aya who can play as a Goal Defender, Wing Defender, and GoalKeeper stated after picking her award from Fortebet’s Resty Mbatidde at Lazio Restaurant in Kololo yesterday.

Maroons FC goalkeeper who won seven man of the match awards in the ended season, added the Real Stars Award for keeping four clean sheets out of five games in May as his side finished 6th in the table.

“I’m very happy to have won this award ahead of all the others, but it was all about the team because we were committed to the job with our coaches and we worked hard as a team. It was all about teamwork and trusting God. We were targeting a top-five finish but came short by a position, but my aim after this is to exceed what I have achieved this season,” Tamale said.  

Pirates Rugby Club captain Ivan Magomu who has been nominated several times but has been missing out, finally won his first Real Stars award having kicked in 13 points in the title decider against the Kobs which gave his side the title.

“It is motivating; it makes you work hard. I have been nominated on a couple of occasions but I was coming short, so I kept working and eventually, it has paid off and I have won it, and this is in addition to the many I have won from the rugby circles,” Magomu stated.

Basketballer Rosemary Amanio who plays for the KIU Rangers and St. Mary’s Kitende took the basketball gong having scooped one man of the match award and helping the school retain the basketball title during the ball games in Mbarara, in May.

On their part, the crew of Yasin Nasser/Ali Katumba who are gunning for the National Rally Championships in both Uganda and Tanzania in addition to the Africa Rally Championship were recognized for their third-place finish in the Pearl of Africa Rally which won them the Africa Rally Championship (ARC) category. They were also dominant as they won the Iringa Rally in Tanzania the same month.

“It is very nice to receive this award so that others get to know what we are doing in the sport and it is very interesting that the recognition that comes in from the group and the media as well, and we appreciate that,” Nasser said.

“It is motivating, it puts you up even where the sponsors appreciate that you have been awarded and it has been seen all over.

“Our target is to try to win the three championships that we are competing in and we want to do all the three and see if we can do all of them at the same time,” he stated.

Henry Zzimbe from Jude Colour Solutions hailed the journalists for continuing to promote sports through the awards while Resty Mbatidde from Fortebet pledged their continued support to the awards by encouraging and motivating all the athletes that continue to excel at all levels.

May Awardees

Basketball: Rosemary Amanio

Netball: Gloria Aya

Rugby: Ivan Magomu

Football: Simon Tamale

Rally: Yasin Nasser