The FIFA Global Football Development Division, under its flagship Talent Development Scheme (TDS) whose guiding pillars are Find, Train, and Play, is once again lending its full support to the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) in the implementation of its Technical Master Plan (TMP) 2023–2030, aimed at nurturing elite youth football for both boys and girls.
As part of this ongoing collaboration, two high-level courses focusing on elite youth coaching and elite youth goalkeeping are set to take place at the FUFA Technical Centre in Njeru from 18th to 22nd May 2025. A total of 48 participants—24 in goalkeeping and 24 in coaching—will benefit from the expert-led sessions.
Leading the mission is Christos Kanelleas from Greece, FIFA’s Training & Education Project Delivery Manager under the High Performance Unit. He is heading a delegation of six internationally acclaimed FIFA Experts who will deliver the intensive programme. The expert team includes Callum James Christopher Irving and Simon Paul Jennings from the United Kingdom, Alejandro Alfredo Heredia from Argentina, Cameron Euston Cox from South Africa, and Adel Amorouche from Belgium.
Under the structured FUFA Technical Master Plan, all initiatives are linked in a systematic chain. Earlier in the project, 311 FUFA Grade 4 Football Scouts were trained and strategically placed across Uganda’s districts. Their efforts have led to the identification of 1,385 talented players—1,015 boys and 370 girls—recorded in FUFA’s Talent ID Online System.
On Wednesday, 14th May 2025, a six-member FUFA Technical Team arrived in the Northern Region at Otino Wa Comprehensive SS to conduct a two-day scouting trial. This exercise aims to assess 324 talented boys and girls profiled by FUFA’s G4 Scouts from across the region. The most promising players will advance to elite training programmes under the Regional Schools of Excellence and other development initiatives, including the National Academy.
“When you examine the above talent identification and development environment being propagated under the TMP and well supported by FIFA TDS, the two courses in elite youth coaching and elite youth goalkeeping have definitely come at the perfect time. After identification, what follows is development—and coaches are going to be sharpened by the visiting FIFA experts,” said Ali Mwebe, FUFA Football Development Director.
All coaches involved with national youth teams for both boys and girls, along with selected youth coaches from FUFA’s eight regions, have been invited to participate. Upon successful completion of the course, these coaches are expected to take up key roles within various elite youth development centres across the country.
