Kawempe Muslim duo Ayub Khalifa and Agnes Nabukenya were named as the Finance Trust Bank Fufa Women Super League (FTBFWSL) coach and player of the month (November) on Tuesday.
Four of five league matches played in November were considered for the awards which were given out at the Bank’s headquarters on Lumumba Avenue.
“I read earlier from Pastor Gary Skinner that the harder you work, the luckier you get and I am sure you did the same,” FTB’s chief operations officer Sarah Gwokyalya, said at the ceremony.
“Our bank was started by women and it is natural that we support women. We are happy with the progress we have made over the past one year. We see better publicity for the league and I believe that is what will take us forward,” she added.
Khalifa, who guided Kawempe to four wins in those games, was a clear favourite for the award that comes with Shs500,000 over Kampala Queens’ Firew Asefa Hailegebreal who had three wins.
Kawempe beat She Maroons 2-0 and Amus College 2-1 at home. They also beat She Corporate 2-0 away in Njeru and Lady Doves 1-0 away in Masindi.
KQ beat Olila 5-0 and Uganda Martyrs 2-0 at home, plus St. Noa Girls 1-0 away in Wankulukuku then lost 2-0 away to She Maroons in Luzira.
“I have achieved this through the discipline of team and teamwork. I work with a group of coaches and players who make things possible,” Khalifa said as he collected his second monthly gong since the awards were introduced over a year ago.
Nabukenya wants big ones
Nabukenya was player of the match in the two home wins and scored twice in both games. She edged her teammate and goalkeeper Saidah Namwanje, who kept three clean sheets plus KQ’s Catherine Nagadya who scored both goals against Uganda Martyrs, the lone against St. Noa, and once against Olila.
“Every achievement is down to hard work, teamwork, and listening to my coaches,” Nabukenya said as she received her first ever monthly gong, which comes with Shs250,000, and also made clear her ambitions “to win the league as captain, then also be the top scorer and most valuable player again (as was the case when Kawempe won the 2023/24 FWSL).”
Meanwhile, Sanyuka TV’s Henry Gwase and NimSport’s Isa Nsereko were named the best journalists of the month.