football 3 September 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
FUFA Unveils Ambitious Women's Football Strategy to Sustain Growth and Address Gaps
The Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) has launched a stakeholder consultation to develop a new women's football strategy for 2026-2030, aiming to build on recent successes and elevate the sport's performance on the continental and global stages. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/sports/soccer/fufa-map-new-women-s-strategy-to-sustain-boom-fill-gaps-5581898
The Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) is charting a new course for women’s football with a comprehensive strategy set to guide the sport from 2026 to 2030. This initiative, developed in collaboration with FIFA and involving over 60 key stakeholders, aims to sustain the rapid growth witnessed in recent years and address existing challenges.
The new roadmap succeeds the “Take Flight” framework, which saw the expansion of the women’s league structure to include the Super League, Elite League, and regional leagues. The ongoing consultation, facilitated by FIFA women’s football expert Thuba Sibanda, includes representatives from FUFA, the Women’s Football Committee, clubs, coaches, players, and media.
According to FUFA’s women’s football coordinator Joan Namusisi, the upcoming plan will shift focus towards elite international performance. “Our goal is to ensure that the strategy is inclusive, practical, and responsive speaking meaningfully to every level of the pathway, from grassroots to elite,” Sibanda stated.
Uganda has seen a significant surge in female player registration, jumping from 10,000 in 2018 to 70,000 currently. The number of registered clubs has doubled, and the technical capacity has also expanded with more qualified female coaches and referees.
FIFA has commended Uganda’s proactive approach to utilizing development programs but has challenged the federation to translate this administrative and numerical growth into World Cup appearances for its youth national teams. Sibanda emphasized the need for stronger domestic structures, deeper player pools, and increased financing to compete on the international stage, particularly with the expanding global calendar of tournaments.
A key highlight of the consultation was the recognition of school competitions as a vital talent pipeline. Uganda’s school system, supported by the Uganda Secondary Schools Sports Association (USSSA), has consistently produced strong results at regional and continental levels, with several schools achieving notable success in CAF and Cecafa championships.
The federation plans to finalize the draft strategy by September and officially launch it in November, aiming to elevate Ugandan women’s football to the top ranks in Africa. As FUFA’s second vice president Taibu Azah remarked, “Women’s football is part and parcel of football generally. Our growth must be deliberate, inclusive, and guided by a strategy.”