She Corporate’s Belyse Ininahazwe and Kampala Queens (KQ) striker Kamiyati Naigaga were deservedly awarded October’s Finance Trust Bank Fufa Women Super League (FTBFWSL) coach and player of the month respectively.
Nation Media Group’s Sharifah Nambi and Sports Nations’ Geoffrey Mugabi also shared in the glory as the journalists that covered the league better than their counterparts.
Ininahazwe, a Burundian, has turned around She Corporate since joining at the start of the season. Last season, She Corporate finished 10th in the 12 team league with 24 points – scoring and conceding 18 goals apiece.
Now they are top of the table; unbeaten in five games. They have already made 13 points and scored 10 goals – more than half of what was achieved last season.
But those working with Ininahazwe, who earned Shs500,000 for her accolades, say she is a stickler for good defending. Her side has conceded just twice thus far.
“The only secret is hard work,” Ininahazwe said on Tuesday during a press conference to award them at the Finance Trust Bank head offices on Lumumba Avenue.
“We work as a team and God helps us to achieve success. You have to push players to love what they do, have a good attitude, discipline, and education,” Ininahazwe, who beat KQ’s Firew Asefa Hailegebreal and Kawempe Muslim’s Ayub Khalifa to the award, said.
The former defender is enjoying her new challenge and believes “Ugandan football is more competitive, full of passion and energy, unlike Burundi where the players are a bit younger.”
“The team (She Corporate) was well recruited. We have good players and that makes it easy to work,” the coach said in speech that was translated from French to English by FTB’s human resource manager Juliet Kakoma.
Ininahazwe acknowledged the sponsors for the “good motivation that will encourage us deliver better.” The message was re-echoed by Naigaga, who has so far scored six goals in five games to match her ever best season tally.
Trust and a good team
“I am happy about the award. It motivates and challenges me to score more and not only be the top scorer but also be the best player in the league,” Naigaga, who earned Shs250,000 alongside the award, said.
The diminutive striker attributes her success to the “trust of the coach (Hailegebreal, an Ethiopian national) and “being in a better team.”
Naigaga made her league bow under Asubo but after saving them from relegation in the 2022/23 season with five goals, they were relegated in the 2023/24 season despite scoring six goals.
“I achieved some targets with Asubo. The team was not the strongest and when a team struggles, there are always some question marks on the coaches or players, but I want to believe I did my job.
“We fought the next season but God decided for us to be relegated. I am very thankful to our (KQ) patron (Fufa president Moses Magogo) because, despite all that, he picked me to join his team. The team gives great motivation and encouragement to work with others and achieve the best,” Naigaga said as she beat She Corporate duo Jesca Namanda and goalkeeper Molly Naava Nabitaka to the award.
Naava kept three clean sheets and conceded just once in four matches while Namanda scored four goals.
Meanwhile, Kakoma, who said their “aim is to promote the girl child not just in football but financial inclusion too” was flanked by their head of strategy Francis Wasswa.
FTBFWSL Awards – October
Coach: Belyse Ininahazwe
Player: Kamiyati Naigaga
Journalists: Sharifah Nambi (NMG), Geoffrey Mugabi (Sports Nation)