She Cranes should use success in the quest for sponsors

With the current COVID-19 pandemic forcing people out of work, now is the time for sports federations like the Uganda Netball Federation to look beyond government for survival.

Ever since netball became a priority sport thanks largely to the National Council of Sports, they have depended on the government to give them financial support. With financial strife expected in the future, it is about time that they tapped into the power of the She Cranes brand.

This is backed by the fact that they have a plethora of reasons why they should easily attract sponsors. They are a rare commodity simply because no women's national team has achieved more than the She Cranes have for Uganda in the last decade.

Regardless of the popularity, the men's football team enjoys, they still have a long way to go in terms of pure achievement. Look at it this way, the women's netball team has been to two World Cups, one Commonwealth tournament, and has won the Africa Netball Cup twice in the last five years.

Regardless, it really pinches the mind that with all the tangible success, the She Cranes cannot attract even a smidgeon of the sponsors gallivanting in football.

Sponsors the world over are attracted to success, mileage, and uniqueness among others; qualities that the national team has in abundance. Without a doubt, they are one of Uganda's most sought out sports so the mileage is not lacking.

Uganda has hosted quite a number of championships including the FISU World University Netball Championships and the African Netball Cup. The federation recently was also supposed to host the Africa Youth Netball World Cup qualifier in Kampala but it was unfortunately cancelled due to the pandemic.

Within this decade alone they have added success to their repertoire. As recently as last year, they finished third at the Africa Netball Cup in South Africa and 7th at the World Netball Cup.

They haven't risen to the top out of luck but because they have shown grit and hard work. They never roll over for the big dogs but instead leave every ounce of blood, sweat, and tears on the court.

In relation to individuality/uniqueness, the She Cranes are by far the number one women's team on the land in all sports disciplines and categories. Name any women's sports discipline and none has achieved as much as the She Cranes have.

If the current situation prevails, the government's initial plans to fund many sports disciplines have also changed drastically. The reduced sports budget will see some programs defunded so, that means that the national team for netball is going to suffer just like other sports.

It would only be very prudent for those in top management at the federation to wake up and realise that where the country is headed there are other priorities that are going to take centre stage.

In other words, unless a huge miracle happened, the She Cranes need to find sponsors as soon as today.

The author is an analyst on the SportsWoman which airs Thursday at 2.30pm on Urban TV