Universities Given Six Weeks To Upgrade Sports Grounds

By Swalley Kenyi

Nile Special University Football League

Quarterfinals

KIU v Makerere

Ndejje v Nkumba

Kyambogo v MUBS

Uganda Martyrs v UCU

Ugandan universities have six weeks to upgrade their sports grounds if they must be chosen for Federation of Africa University Sports football league 2016. Uganda has four slots to fill in the four-nations inaugural Federation of Africa University Sports football league.

Association of Uganda University Sports (AUUS) general secretary Patrick Ssebuliba announced on Wednesday that the continental body FASU has chosen Uganda to pioneer in the all expenses paid league alongside South Africa, Namibia and Zambia.

However, a team of Federation of Africa University Sports officials will visit interested universities next month to inspect their facilities and capacity to attract crowds for live televised matches.

"We would wish to pick the best four universities in the Nile Special University Football League but we don't know which universities here will impress the organisers. The organisers are looking at universities that offer good grounds and big crowds," Ssebuliba told journalists and sports tutors in Kampala.

Without disclosing the sponsor, Ssebuliba said that the chosen teams will be have to host a game and travel for the return leg depending on fixtures of the league.

Currently, no university in Uganda appears to offer both conditions for a big crowd and good facilities to host the league as required by the sponsors and organisers.

Makerere, MUBS, Nkumba, Kyambogo, Uganda Martyrs, Uganda Christian University, Ndejje and Kampala International University which are contenders in the Nile Special University Football League either meet one of the conditions or none at all.

For example Makerere University, MUBS, Kyambogo are crowd pullers that can benefit the sponsors but all lack good playing facilities as required by the organisers.

Uganda Christian University and Ndejje have one of the best sports grounds among Ugandan universities but are deficient in numbers. Meanwhile the Nile Special University Football League resumes next Wednesday.