The Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) has commenced the FUFA Women Club Commercial Workshop, bringing together representatives of FUFA Women Super League clubs and other stakeholders for a two-day programme focused on strengthening the commercial development of women’s football.
The workshop is being held from 16th–17th September 2026 at Jevine Hotel in Kampala, with FIFA experts Jose Andres Portabella and Tomas Marcal De Mello Correa facilitating the sessions.
The workshop was officially opened by FUFA Executive Committee Member Ronnie Kalema, while FUFA Deputy CEO Sheba Ampaire Ronah and FIFA Regional Technical Consultant Ali Mwebe are also in attendance.
Kalema highlighted FUFA’s continued efforts to develop women’s football, tracing the growth of the women’s game from the establishment of a national women’s team to the creation of structured competitions and increased participation of women in football administration, technical roles and governance.
He emphasised the importance of strengthening the commercial profile of women’s football, noting that stronger competitions provide a foundation for stronger clubs, players and officials.
‘Why this workshop? We expect that we need to have more of these so we can promote the brand. Because at the end of the day, if we have a strong league, it will give us strong clubs, strong players and referees,’ Kalema said.
He also encouraged clubs to ensure that knowledge gained through capacity-building programmes is shared within their organisations.
‘What I don’t like is to see the same faces coming for the same workshop. We should have it in mind that if I’m the CEO at the club and I got something the other day, I should also have the ability to send another person so that we have two or three people at the club that are adding value to the club,’ he added.
FUFA Deputy CEO Sheba Ampaire Ronah urged participants to actively engage with the facilitators by asking questions and sharing their experiences.
She further stressed the importance of ensuring that the knowledge gained during the workshop translates into practical action at club level.
‘I hope they do an evaluation to ensure everything that’s taught is actually implemented,’ Sheba said.
FIFA expert Jose Andres Portabella commended FUFA for its vision and the progress being made in women’s football in Uganda, while placing clubs at the centre of the football ecosystem.
‘The most important stakeholder in football, in the beautiful ecosystem, are the football clubs,’ Portabella said.
He encouraged the participants to use the workshop as an opportunity for mutual learning and exchange of experiences.
‘We are really looking forward to sharing some experiences with you, and also learning from the experiences that you are doing,’ he added.
Fellow FIFA expert Tomas Marcal De Mello Correa, making his first visit to Uganda, welcomed the opportunity to engage with the clubs and share experiences from different football environments.
‘We are here to share experiences, share ideas, good practices, bad practices, and grow together,’ he said.
FUFA 3rd Vice President Hon. Florence Nakiwala Kiyingi, who joined the workshop later in the morning, highlighted continuous training, upgrading and capacity building as key to the professionalisation of women’s football.
She also stressed the importance of creating value for commercial partners as clubs seek to build sustainable revenue streams.
‘In marketing, it is a two-way traffic. If you want to have more and more sponsors with you, then get into their interest line and give back to them,’ Nakiwala said.
She pointed to the experience of sponsorship in women’s football as an indication that commercial partnerships can deliver value beyond traditional measures such as match-day attendance.
The FUFA Women Club Commercial Workshop continues on Thursday, 17th September 2026, with participants expected to gain practical knowledge and strategies to strengthen the commercial operations and sustainability of their clubs.
As part of the opening-day programme, FIFA experts Jose Andres Portabella and Tomas Marcal De Mello Correa were presented with Crested Cranes jerseys by FUFA Executive Committee Member Deo Mutabazi and FUFA Deputy CEO Sheba Ampaire Ronah.
