The Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA) Women’s Com – Unity Seminar has successfully ended on Wednesday at the Imperial Royale Hotel in Kampala.
The workshop was organized by FUFA with full support from the world’s football body.
www.fufa.co.ug was at full alert and brings you the key quotes from the several presenters, administrators, sponsors, participants and media personalities.
Emy Casaletta – FIFA Instructor:
FIFA president, Joseph Sepp Blatter says ‘Football is feminine’. The World’s governing body is committed to supporting the beautiful game among the women with increased funding.
Jacqui Shipanga – FIFA Instructor and Namibian National women head coach:
Uganda is on the right track to see that women football is in line and uplifted. Namibia was like Uganda 15 years ago and we did the basics right and today we are smiling.
FUFA needs to appropriately package the brand of women’s football and the Government, sponsors, media and other stake holders will embrace it fully.
Eng. Moses Magogo, FUFA President:
FUFA is committed to offering full support towards the women football development in Uganda. We thank FIFA for this golden opportunity as the first African nation to host the FIFA Com – Unity women football workshop and the Live your goals’ campaign. We plan a national women’s league in 2015 and continued funding to the women football projects.
Sabiiti Muwanga, USPA –president:
Uganda Sports Press Association (USPA) president, Sabiiti Muwanga
This seminar is a very good initiative and I hope they come up with good resolutions that the federation and the country can implement. We have a lot to learn from Namibia as according to the presentation by Jacqui Shipanga a FIFA instructor who is also the Namibian national women football team coach.
Hadijjah ‘Lady Mourinho’ Namuyanja – FUFA women football co-ordinator:
I am so thankful to FUFA and FIFA for bringing this seminar to Uganda and I am certainly sure it’s going to go a very long way in developing women football in Uganda because it has brought together all stakeholders to forge a way for the women’s game.
There’s no way we could have pulled this off alone as women. In fact I am already excited about the future.
Edgar Watson – FUFA Chief Executive Officer (CEO):
Uganda is privileged to have hosted this women’s football workshop and i believe it will benefit the development of women football in Uganda and the region as a whole.
Joseph Owino, IT specialist, founder of www.kawowo.com and Owino Solutions Limited:
Information technology is evolving each passing day. The better way of packaging the women football brand and circulating it on the fast raising social media plat forms (websites, facebook, twitter, linkedlin and the others).
Paul Ssali- Celebrated women football coach (Uganda Cranes Goal keeper at AFCON 1978 finals):
This seminar is very timely cause it has come at a time when we so badly need to uplift the game from the shadows of the men’s game.
It has helped us streamline ways through which we are going to develop women football from the grass root and whole heartedly. I am sure the future is very bright for women football.
Patrick Luwandagga, Celebrated journalist (Works for national broad Caster, UBC TV):
This seminar is a wake up call on the way we have been managing football in Uganda not only women football.
Just like the lady from Namibia (FIFA instructor Jacqui Shipanga), we need to develop women football right from the grassroot and please the time to start is now to implement the resolutions of this seminar and this should be done in a professional way just like it is being done in the South African region.
Jasper Aligaweesa, Gen Secretary, National Council of Sports:
I Commend FIFA for the programme and i strongly believe this is the right path by FUFA to develop women football in the country.
Asuman Lubowa, FUFA technical director:
We invited very many people to this seminar and good enough a number of them have turned up.
As FUFA we are impressed by the turn up it shows that there so many people out there with interest in women football.
If only now the resolutions from this seminar are embraced by all the stakeholders that is; the government, parents, sponsors, media I am sure women’s football will develop to the level that we desire it to be.
Noella Byuma – Brand and Assets Manager, Airtel Uganda:
As Airtel Uganda, we are 100 percent the women football development process especially with the Airtel Rising Stars U-17 tournament, which has been running for 4 years now.
We give the same cash prizes, trophies and other prizes to the girls and boys without discrimination.
Oliver Mbekeka, former Uganda Crested Cranes captain:
The seminar has opened my eyes to many essential issues that ought to be addressed to pave way for the development of women football in Uganda.
The instructors have done a wonderful job and now what we need to do is to start this development process right from down and do so with passion.
Doreen Apolot, former Uganda Crested Cranes player:
The workshop itself is productive and on point but we do not know if the resolutions will be implemented.Our problem in Uganda has always been policies that are not committed to the development of women football.
I am happy that this seminar has opened people’s minds to this and pray that this changes cause when it comes to talent the girls are already there and in plenty but all they need is an opportunity to be availed to them to play.
Majidah Nantanda, Uganda Crested Cranes coach:
I appreciate this seminar for acting as an eye opener to us and helping us undestand that if women’s football is to develop in our country we need to stop looking at only the women football office at FUFA instead we should also bring on board other people with special capacity for instance involving the media, sponsors, coaches, administrators, the government among others. Former players also need to be embraced as idols to help inspire youngsters to take on the sport because women football is now the fastest growing female sport in the world.