Victors set new soccer standards

Aug 25, 2006

A story is told of a Cranes player who once refused to exchange a jersey with a Tunisian counterpart for fear of being reprimanded.<br>To the gentlemen in the Nakivubo terraces, the gesture was rude but to others, the Ugandan’s attitude was understandable.

By James Bakama

A story is told of a Cranes player who once refused to exchange a jersey with a Tunisian counterpart for fear of being reprimanded.
To the gentlemen in the Nakivubo terraces, the gesture was rude but to others, the Ugandan’s attitude was understandable.

Cash strapped Ugandan teams recycle jerseys for years. So, parting with one of these treasured uniforms would be like conceding an own goal.

That is not the case with Victors FC. The club not only has jerseys in bulk, but is also the only Ugandan side with its players’ names emblazoned on the uniforms.

The mighty SC Villa of the eighties was the first local team to have players’ names printed on jerseys. But even then, this was a privilege of a few selected stars like Paul Hasule, Dan Lutalo and Jamil Kasirye.

But for Victors, all players in the club’s 36 man squad have their names emblazoned on their jerseys.

Club owner Colonel Jackson Tushabe “Bell”, says it gives his players a sense of identity thereby boosting the team’s morale.

Tushabe says the branding has boosted the team’s fan base. “If Ugandans can buy Wayne Rooney shirts, why can’t they also acquire one of Yuda Mugalu,” argues Tushabe.

Tushabe says an innovation like names on jerseys, is just one of several revolutionary ideas that the advent of Victors in 2001 brought.

“Initially teams promoted to the top league barely survived for a season, but we changed that,” says the senior army officer.

Another of Tushabe’s innovations is housing his players in the same locality. They are all housed in Ggaba, a Kampala suburb.

Victors FC was founded in 2001 and got promoted to the Super League in 2004.

The team last week ejected giants SC Villa from the Kakungulu Cup to book a date with league champions URA in the quarter finals.

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