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There was a lot of excitement in the just concluded Uganda Secondary Schools Sports Association (USSSA) football competition. The exciting football, results and the big crowds in West Nile turning up to watch the games have all been amazing, but except for one thing.
If you have been following this tournament closely, you have surely come across a number of players whose names are a more familiar mention in Uganda’s top tier, the StarTimes Uganda Premier League. Names like Najib Yiga, Jack Komakech, Ivan Irinimbabazi and Charles Lwanga all turning up for St Mary’s Kitende, Vipers SC and KCCA FC respectively, Travis Mutyaba, Oscar Mawa (St Andrew Kaggwa Gombe and SC Villa) are some of the few a mention can be made of.
While many have featured for local clubs in the Uganda Premier League, many others have gone beyond boarders and featured for the regional junior competitions (CECAFA) and continental youth competition (AFCON U20) where they played as well.
For the love and growth of the game, is it really worth having players who are competing favourably in the league with top tier exposure taking part and rubbing shoulders in secondary school games?
Is it fair that they get to compete against players who are just trying to make it to a level that some of them have already reached?
One will argue that they are being given more playing time, exposure since they are young and still developing but what about those other players whose position have been taken by these already exposed players. Hasn’t a chance of exposure for new talent dreaming of playing in the league and national team been suffocated by the talents that have achieved this already?
Looking at other competitions that aim at promoting fresh talents like the University Football League, there is restriction on league licensed players who are not allowed to take part in the competition which clearly makes way for players who are not exposed or feature in the league unlike in the Uganda Secondary Schools Sports Association (USSSA) football competitions where the rules are not having such limitations.
The competition climaxed with St Mary’s Kitende beating St Andrew Kaggwa Gombe by 2–0 at the Barifa stadium and in the awards, SC Villa’s Travis Mutyaba was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP).
Travis Mutyaba with his MVP award | Courtesy Photo
The question to the responsible governing bodies and organisers is whether it is of great value involving students featuring for top flight clubs or rather choose to restrict the competition to only those at that level.
