FUFA President Hon. Magogo Moses Hassim officially launched the FUFA Academies League and described the new competition as an important step in strengthening the development pathway for young footballers in Uganda, with support from the FIFA Talent Development Scheme (TDS).
Speaking at the launch, Hon. Magogo Moses Hassim explained that the initiative aligns with the federation’s Technical Master Plan, a comprehensive framework that guides the full development cycle of football players from early talent identification to elite performance.
‘The Federation of Uganda Football Associations took a very ambitious project called the Technical Master Plan. It has many pillars and activities but in summary it focuses on the life cycle of a player, starting with talent identification where we are working with FIFA under the Talent Development Scheme,’ he said.
He emphasised that once talent is identified, FUFA must deliberately guide players through an elite development pathway.
‘After identification of talent, which is a very important phase, you go into elite path development. For you to get a top professional we must be intentional in the things we do,’ he added.
The FUFA President highlighted that the most critical period for talent identification occurs between the ages of nine and eleven. At that stage, identified players progress through recognised football schools and licensed academies.
Hon. Magogo Moses Hassim further explained that FUFA already implemented measures to regulate the operation of football academies in line with the National Sports Act.
‘It is no longer free. It is now illegal to operate an academy or a group of children without a licence from the National Council of Sports and you cannot obtain that licence without the approval of FUFA,’ he said.
FUFA also introduced a grading system for academies to ensure quality standards in youth development. Grade One represents the National Football Academy, which FUFA will relaunch as part of the Technical Master Plan. Grade Two academies mainly operate at professional clubs and qualified private institutions. Grade Three academies operate largely at the regional level and include schools of excellence.
Hon. Magogo Moses Hassim noted that FUFA will use organised competitions as a platform to measure and showcase development taking place in academies.
‘We took a decision as a federation to use competitions as a method of showcasing the development going on in academies. That is why we are here today to launch the academies competition, which we are calling the FUFA Academies League,’ he said.
The FUFA Academies League begins as a pilot competition in the Buganda and Kampala regions, bringing together 20 academies that will compete in two groups until a champion emerges.
He explained that the new competition complements the existing FUFA Juniors League by creating opportunities for academies and players who currently operate outside that structure.
‘We are aware that there are many academies that are not part of the Juniors League and there are many children growing up from there. This competition will give them an opportunity to compete and showcase their development,’ he explained.
Hon. Magogo Moses Hassim also announced that FUFA appointed a seven-member Tournament Organising Committee to oversee the organisation and supervision of the competition.
‘FUFA organises many competitions. For purposes of concentration, responsibility and supervision, the federation named a seven-member committee to organise this competition. We believe they will take responsibility to deliver a good competition that can eventually spread across the country,’ he said.
He reiterated that the league will support talent identification for national development structures.
‘The objective is to give children in development an opportunity to compete and showcase their progress. It will also serve as a hunting ground for the National Football Academy and the national teams to identify players for the underage national teams,’ he said.
Hon. Magogo Moses Hassim also revealed that the FUFA Executive Committee resolved to support the participating academies with equipment to facilitate the competition that kicks off on Sunday 22nd March 2026.
‘The FUFA Executive Committee took a decision to give each of the 20 academies ten balls to ensure that they are able to compete,’ he concluded.
