By Ronald Ocweo
In the sport of football, fan bases are instrumental in boosting the support systems and club finances. However, in Uganda, these fan bases seem clear based on the comparisons drawn from the inconsistencies registered from various competitions including the StarTimes Uganda Premier League, FUFA drum, Masaza Cup, the Big League, and the University leagues.
The University football league in this case provides a platform for young talents to showcase their skills, attract followers, and cultivate a sense of community and loyalty among supporters, who are University students, Alumni, well-wishers, and the neighboring communities.
The recently concluded University football league finals brought together many fans, including current students and alumni from Nkumba University and Uganda Christian University. This event demonstrated the strong connection between universities or colleges and their students or fans who are tailored through rivalry.
University rivalries in football are legendary and add an extra layer of excitement to the sport. These rivalries create intense matchups that capture the attention of fans and media alike. The traditions associated with university football games, such as confrontations, chants, and rituals, contribute to the unique fan culture surrounding these events.
It should also be noted that in the second leg of the 2023/24 University League semi-finals where Uganda Christian University (UCU) hosted Makerere University Business School (MUBS) at UCU grounds, several students from both sides got involved in chants and confrontations before and after the game a clear sign of passion and connection with their institutions.
However, this poses a challenge to maintaining order and safety within the league venues as other students may not be a party to such acts of excitement and hooliganism, but want to enjoy the game without interference.
This takes us back to an incident in 2015 that collided between Kyambogo and Makerere University students who instead of supporting their teams got themselves involved in fights on and off the pitch. It was reported that the number of policemen manning the students was inversely proportionate hence leaving room for untold violence to explode.
Hence this draws back to the organization and management of the venue security teams that should be tailored in advance for any future interferences or scuffles, especially among rival fans from Makerere, Kyambogo, UCU, MUBS, and Nkumba Universities.
It is also important to note that a fan base is also driven by the nature of financial investment injected by the University administration into the sport. Therefore, limited financial resources from universities may hinder the growth and sustainability of the league, affecting aspects like infrastructure development, player welfare, and overall quality of competition.
This can be grounds for Universities’ abstaining from the University league competitions thus denying a chance to build a fanbase for themselves currently and in the future since nothing has been established to motivate the current students.
If given all the desired support, the University football league stands a chance of creating a culture that has the potential to be the best foundation for football identity and fan base development.
