Women players made their debut at the Blind Football Uganda National Championship on Saturday at Makerere University.
The annual championship attracted eight men’s teams and two women’s teams, marking a significant step towards greater inclusion of women with visual impairments in the sport.
Agnes Baluka Masajja, a Global Sports Mentorship Program alumna and Chief of Sports at Busitema University, said the championship reflects efforts to promote inclusive sports.
“Today is an inclusive sports day. As Global Sports Mentorship alumni, we have been working towards creating opportunities for persons with disabilities to participate in sport,” Baluka said.
“Today, we are celebrating blind football at Makerere University, and we are glad to see teams from different universities participating. We have eight men’s teams and two women’s teams taking part.”
The Global Sports Mentorship Alumni, in partnership with the Basketball Hall of Fame, also donated football jerseys and specialised balls for blind football to the participating teams.
James Ssenkungu, Assistant Sports Tutor and the official in charge of sports for students with disabilities at Makerere University, said hosting the championship was aimed at promoting adapted sports and increasing women’s participation.
“We wanted to host this championship to promote adapted sports and, more importantly, create opportunities for women. We want to demonstrate that women can participate in sport regardless of their disability,” Ssenkungu said.
He added that the championship could also provide a pathway for identifying players who can represent Uganda at major international competitions.
“It is one of the platforms we can use to identify and select a strong team for future international tournaments. It is also a pathway towards the Los Angeles Games,” he said.
“Most of these students are young, so we still have enough time to develop and train them to compete at the highest level.”
Blind Football Uganda founder and chairman Jjagwe Muzafaru said the championship is important in keeping players active and providing them with more competitive opportunities.
“Today, we have concluded our annual Blind Football Uganda National Championship and crowned this year’s champion,” Jjagwe said.
“This sport is taking us to an important milestone because we lack enough competitions for blind football. Championships like this give our teams an opportunity to remain active and provide a pathway for further development.”
MUBS University were crowned champions after defeating Strong Spirits 1-0 in the final.
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