Rays of Grace dominate Buganda Primary Schools Championship

Rays of Grace Junior School have successfully completed the defence of the Buganda Region FUFA Primary Schools Championship Odilo, overcoming Janan Primary School, Bombo in the finals played over the weekend at Janan Schools, Bombo by a resounding 3-0 scoreline.

Second half substitute, Henry Sserwadda broke the deadlock for Rays of Grace, tapping in to put the Buikwe-based school into the lead after spending just five minutes on the pitch, just before Francis Balaba doubled their lead.

Sserwadda then put the last nail in Janan’s coffin, scoring with a shot from the left flank, sealing a much needed brace to complete the title triumph.

As the Boys and Girls champions were being crowned Roberts Kiwanuka, Chairman Uganda Youth Football Association (UYFA), implored schools to always employ qualified coaches at the foundation stages of football.

“I wish to thank all schools for competing in this tournament because football at youth stages requires more investment,” Mr Roberts Kiwanuka stated.

“I call upon school administrators to always employ qualified disciplined coaches because at this age, players are at a stage where most of things they see and hear are stored on their memories,” Mr Kiwanuka sternly noted.

Kiwanuka also added that the mother body of football in Uganda, FUFA and all association members usually stage capacity building courses, not only in coaching, but also on the side of administrators, and hence implored all stakeholders in youth football, especially schools, to take part in these courses.

Buganda Region Football Association Development Officer, Wilberforce Ssemwogerere, thanked all schools and other stakeholders for investing in the game.

“We, as Buganda Region FA, are thankful to the schools and the football fraternity for all that they have invested in the game of football,” Mr Ssemwogerere said.

“We wish to congratulate the champions (Rays of Grace Junior School and Bombo Umea Primary School), and [assure them that] the region (Buganda) has trust in them ahead of the National finals,” Mr Ssemwogerere added.

“We call upon Buganda region to support them because they now raise our flag and [seek to] do it the same way we did in the first edition,” Mr Ssemwogerere requested.

Bombo Umea Primary School were crowned champions of FUFA Primary Schools Championship Odilo (Buganda Region) in the Girls category.

In the Girls category, three (3) schools turned up, and the format used was the ‘point robin’, and here, Bombo Umea defeated all teams to top the group with six (6) points and five (5) goals.

Rays of Grace Junior School will raise the Buganda Region flag as representatives in the National finals in the Boys category. The finals will be held at the FUFA Technical Centre, Njeru, and they will be up for the same task as they had in the inaugural championship which they went ahead to win.

Meanwhile, Bombo Umea will also represent the Buganda Region Football Association in the Girls category in the National finals.

The champions in the two categories at National finals, that is, both Boys and Girls, will represent Uganda in the 2022 FEASSA Games in Arusha, Tanzania, where the top teams will represent East Africa in the World School Games in Serbia.

ALL RESULTS:

Group A:

Janan Primary School 3-0 Craddleland Primary School.

Sumayah International School 9-1 Nakasongola Barracks.

Craddleland Primary School 3-0 Nakasongola Barracks.

Janan Primary School 1-0 Sumaya International School.

Nakasongola Barracks 1-3 Janan Primary School.

Craddleland Primary School 0-2 Sumayah International School.

Group B:

Kunda Brain Trust 0-0 Kanjuki Junior School.

Rays of Grace Junior School 1-0 Mivule Primary School.

Kunda Brain Trust 0-1 Rays of Grace Junior School.

Kanjuki Junior School 0-0 Mivule Primary School.

Rays of Grace Junior School 1-3 Kanjuki Junior School.

Mivule Primary School 0-0 Kunda Brain Trust.

Girls Category:

Bombo Umea Primary School 2-0 Bright Parents Primary School.

Bright Parents Primary School 0-2 Nabugabo Community Primary School.

Nabugabo Community Primary School 0-3 Bombo Umea Primary School.

Semifinals (Boys):

Janan Primary School 1-0 Kanjuki Junior School.

Rays of Grace Junior School 1-0 Sumayah International School.