Omuriwe to miss KCCA opener while in Canada

KCCA women’s volleyball club will start the new National Volleyball League season without the services of head coach Shilla Omuriwe.

The 2023 champions will kick off their campaign on Sunday in a clash with Sport-S. Missing on the touchline will be Omuriwe, who is in Canada for the Women in Sport High-performance (WISH) pathway program until November.

Omuriwe and Iran’s Maedeh Borhani Esfahani were selected to join Cohort 4 of the WISH program designed to empower female coaches.

WISH is a mentorship and training program, jointly supported by Olympic Solidarity and a number of International Federations (IF).

It aims to help female coaches progress into high-performance coaching roles at national, continental and international competitions, including major events such as World Championships and the Olympic Games.

The program aligns with the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC’s) long-term commitment to advancing gender equality and inclusion by promoting women’s leadership in sport.

The 21-month program gives participants access to leadership training, sport-specific training and mentoring led by their IFs, and engagement with the National Olympic Committees (NOCs).

Omuriwe has been working with Canada’s national women’s team head coach Shannon Winzer as her sports specific mentor since May last year.

“I am very grateful to the FIVB for giving me this opportunity. I'm eager to learn more about leadership, meet female coaches from all parts of the world and hear about their experiences,” Omuriwe said before embarking on the journey.

“I hope this course will open more doors for me in my career since I’ve always wanted to work in a more structured system that embraces technology in player development,” she added.

“I hope my journey will inspire women in Uganda and Africa that you can excel if you put work into your craft.”

Omuriwe was last with KCCA during the National Clubs Championship in Ndejje at the start of the month and saw the team through the group phase and quarterfinals.

Having travelled two days before the rescheduled semis and finals, Omuriwe missed the team’s 3-0 win over Sport-S and the 3-1 loss to eventual champions KCB-Nkumba.

In her absence, Sharon Pajije, one of the assistants, took charge and will be expected to take on the role until Omuriwe returns in November.

“She (Omuriwe) left a good structure, which makes it easy for us to keep going,” Pajije told Score in an interview. “I will do my best to keep the ball running until she returns,” the former KCCA libero added.

KCCA lost to KCB-Nkumba in the semifinals last season to surrender the trophy they had won in 2023 and will be looking for a good start to this campaign. Sport-S Ladies await in Nsambya Sunday afternoon. 

National Volleyball League 

Playing Saturday –Nsambya

Women

UCU L. Doves vs. VVC, 11am

KAVC vs. Elyon, 1pm

Men

UCU Doves vs. Elyon, 9am

Sky vs. Police, 3pm