Prepare clubs for November kick-off

UGANDA’S sports administrators rarely look beyond poor funding to explain the ever-declining local soccer standards.True, you need to be financially comfortable to build a formidable football team or to run a national league. However, that is not all because money poured into a chaotic setting will just go down the drain.Football could learn from the rugby and cricket associations. The two ‘small’ sports only entertain able administrators, have youth programmes, put emphasis on marketing and publicity, and plan long-term.Ugandan clubs have rarely done well in Africa because of a league kick-off date that doesn’t give teams time to rest and pick the form needed for the task.The decision by the NFLC to start the 2003 soccer league in November, is looking beyond mere symptoms. The changeover from January to November will, however, need a lot of input and co-operation from the clubs to succeed—joint meetings should start now.Lesson: Other bottlenecks that include low attendance, can be solved.ends