The FIFA Women’s Football Campaign in the Northern Region has provided new opportunities for girls to participate in football, develop their skills and explore pathways into organised football, with more than 350 girls taking part in activities held across Lira and Gulu.
The three-day campaign, conducted from 3rd–5th September 2026, brought together girls, coaches and football stakeholders as part of efforts to increase participation, identify talent and promote a safe and inclusive environment for girls in football.
Implemented by the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) with support from FIFA under the FIFA Women’s Football Development Programme, the campaign opened on Thursday, 3rd September at Bonvia Hotel in Lira City with a Coaches’ Workshop facilitated by FIFA Women’s Football Expert Thuba Sibanda.
The workshop equipped coaches and football stakeholders with knowledge and practical skills to better support girls’ football and create positive development environments within their communities.
The programme moved to the pitch on Friday, 4th September with a Girls’ Football Festival at Lira P7 Primary School before concluding with another festival at St Joseph’s College Layibi in Gulu City on Saturday, 5 September.
Across the two festivals, girls participated in small-sided games, skills challenges and fun football activities in three age categories – Under 8–10, Under 11–12 and Under 13–14.
The activities brought together girls with different levels of football experience, including some participating in organised football for the first time. This provided an opportunity for more girls to access the game while allowing FUFA to observe emerging talent from the region.
FUFA Football Development Director Bashir Mutyaba said the campaign had helped raise awareness about women’s football while providing an opportunity to identify talent.
‘We have had a successful campaign in the Northern Region. We have created awareness of women’s football in the region and its accessibility,’ Mutyaba said.
‘We have had a good turnout of over 350 girls in both Lira and Gulu, including raw talent and those playing for the first time.’
The talent identified during the campaign will have opportunities to continue its development within FUFA structures. Girls who impressed during the activities will be considered for placement in FUFA Schools of Excellence, including Wisdom High School, creating a link between grassroots participation and structured player development.
FUFA is also planning to pilot an Under-17 Girls League, with the Northern Region expected to be among the beneficiaries. The proposed competition will provide young players with regular competitive football and strengthen the transition from grassroots participation into organised youth football and eventually the elite game.
This pathway extends the impact of the campaign beyond the three-day programme by creating potential opportunities for girls identified at community level to access continued training, education and competition.
The campaign also strengthened the wider football environment through the Coaches’ Workshop, complementing the practical activities on the pitch by enhancing the capacity of coaches and stakeholders working with young girls.
More than 100 footballs were provided to participating teams, while every girl who took part received a jersey, giving the participants and teams additional resources to support continued football activities.
The young players also interacted with accomplished role models through the involvement of campaign ambassadors Phionah Arach and Adeke Juliet.
Arach, who plays for Rines SS WFC, is a winner of the CECAFA U-17 Girls’ Championship with Uganda, while Juliet is a goalkeeper for Kawempe Muslim Ladies FC and a six-time winner of Uganda’s top-flight women’s league.
The ambassadors provided the participants with tangible examples of the opportunities available through football. They joined the girls on the pitch and participated in a 1v1 skills demonstration, creating an opportunity for the young players to interact with footballers who have progressed to the elite level.
The Northern Region campaign builds on similar FIFA-supported initiatives conducted in Uganda, including the FIFA Women’s Football Campaign in West Nile in 2023 and Bukedea in 2025.
The continued rollout of the campaign to different parts of the country reflects the commitment of FIFA and FUFA to bringing football opportunities closer to girls and communities while strengthening participation, talent identification and player development structures.
For the Northern Region, the campaign has gone beyond providing an opportunity to play football. It has brought together participation, coach education, equipment support, talent identification and pathways for continued development.
