CAF Women Champions League draws mixed reactions from coaches

CAF president Ahmad Ahmad revealed that the competition will start with at least 10 clubs although the format is not yet out.

The development was one of the resolutions from the four-year women football strategic development plan that was passed last November in Egypt.

The new competition that was launched last week has created a lot of excitement among clubs in different women leagues in the country.

According to Kawempe Muslim SSS coach Ayub Khalifah, this development will play a big part in the player exposure.

"The players will get a platform to expose their talent and they will also be able to market themselves. The teams will play with purpose unlike in the past where we win the league and it stops at that. Now there is a level you can progress and the players will play with a lot of focus and the clubs will start to search for good talent," Khalifah said.

Asked how Uganda players will be able to cope up with tournament of such magnitude, Khalifah revealed that the growth of the sport gives them hope that they can perform better with more competitions.

"In women football, what I have seen is that age doesn't matter. The older you are, the weaker you become. The young players have been more vibrant than the old players. And most of our players are young which gives us a starting point. Playing in different competitions such as COSAFA women championship and CECAFA  is something players have benefited from," he added.

However, Uganda Christian University (UCU) sports administrator Sam Lukaire believes the time of the competition will also matter.

"It will help the mindset of the players and also help them go through different challenges that they were not used to.  It will encourage the clubs to invest in the teams with the mindset that they will compete. But the timing of the competition also matters. For example, most of the  Kawempe Muslim players are students. How will they travel when they supposed to be in class for studies or even examinations. How will they balance both education and the sport? I think CAF would have introduced a well-structured tournament that can be played for a specific period in one place," Lukaire said.

Although most of the players are students, Lukaire is confident they will be able to match more experienced players they might find on the continent.

"In the beginning, they may not match them but with time they will learn, adapt, and even improve and they will be able to compete. Sometimes development is always limited to how far you are exposed. How to plan and prepare the teams is something we have to look up to have our players shine," he added.

Lady Doves PRO, Godfrey Nsigwire says the competition will create room for many talented players to showcase their ability.