Kampala Queens have 100 million reasons to win FWSL

Kampala Queens (KQ) executive committee member Patrick Ntege first heard of a sponsorship deal in Ugandan football in 1988.

At the time, he says, men’s topflight side SC Villa had secured sponsorship from Agip – an oil company. About eight years later, Ntege was at Express and they also secured a deal with Gapco – another oil company.

“We did not know what responsibility we had as players or a club to the sponsors but we had a famous saying ‘oil ayika’ which we used when matches were not going our way,” Ntege explained in an anecdote that lit up the room after a late start to KQ’s press conference, to unveil their first ever sponsor, at Jevine Hotel in Kabusu on Tuesday afternoon.

“It (oil ayika) meant that we were losing our winning bonuses and that motivated us to double our efforts.

“When, the (Fufa and KQ) president (Moses Magogo) set out to start Kampala Queens, he was trying to give the girl child a chance to play football and also create a conducive environment for that to happen.

“Definitely, the best way to create that environment is by making money available and we want to share with you today that we (KQ) are partnering with a top company and gentleman in Engineer Jonard (Asiimwe),” added Ntege, who was flanked by KQ players led by captain Shamirah Nalugya, coach Charles Ayiekoh and his technical team, chief executive officer Meddie Ssengendo and communications manager Hamza Waiswa.

Shs100m injection

Asiimwe runs Jonard Conglomerate Investment Limited, an umbrella brand involved in minerals, oil and gas, plus events management among others. The company is known to have bankrolled men’s topflight sides Kitara and Mbale Heroes too.

The company will, according to Asiimwe, “inject Shs100m in Kampala Queens for this season and we could increase next season if they perform well.” For now, the commitment in writing is Shs200m for the period 2024-2026 but there is potential for that figure to grow “if you win games and make us happy, we will definitely call up the CEO for winning bonuses, take care of such meetings.”

“I watched you (KQ) last season against Kawempe (Muslim) when you needed to win to get the trophy (last match of the 2023/24 season which the former lost 2-0). I had many teams to choose from but I still chose you.

“This sponsorship is about our vision to grow and develop talent by 2050. As the world changes, many jobs will be taken over by robots but sports talent will remain alive and we want to be part of that growth. I know some of you are in school and when you complete, there can be employment opportunities with us.

“We will have a lot of growth together. I am a competitive person and I do things through perseverance and maintaining focus. I definitely want you to get the trophy first and also compete on the continent, where you will be seen even more,” Asiimwe added before he and Ntege unveiled the club’s new jersey for the ongoing Finance Trust Bank Fufa Women Super League (FTBFWSL) season.

KQ, which was started in 2016 after the assimilation of Gadhafi Integrated, won the FTBFWSL title in the 2022/23 season – a triumph that is juxtaposed between two runner-up seasons. If they ever questioned whether they could lift the title again, they now have 100 million reasons to do so.

Kampala Queens at a glance

Started: 2016

Owner: Moses Magogo

Coach: Charles Ayiekoh

Captain: Shamirah Nalugya

Assisted by Zainah Nandede & Jamilah Nabulime

Title: 2022/23

Cecafa representation: 2023 (Group stages)