The Uganda Premier League (UPL) now has more money in the room than it did a year ago.
However, that does not mean it has solved its money problem. There is government support going to the clubs. There is a commercial partnership in the offing.
There is a bigger league, a sizeable audience and, with Afcon 2027 approaching, a potentially bigger market to sell to.
But none of that changes the uncomfortable question at the heart of Ugandan football – what happens when the latest intervention runs out?
That was one of the more interesting threads to emerge from the 13th Fufa Super League Limited (FSLL) Annual General Meeting (AGM) at HB Hotel in Hoima last Saturday.
Much-needed push
The Shs5.5b government allocation for the 18 clubs was already being processed between the National Council of Sports (NCS) and the beneficiaries.
It was not an AGM windfall. Nor is it revenue belonging to FSLL, the company that conducts business on behalf of the UPL.
The money goes directly to the clubs, which must account for it individually.
The league, meanwhile, is working towards a new commercial partnership with a bank worth a couple of hundreds of millions.
Useful money, certainly, but hardly enough to rewrite the economics of the competition.
Numbers behind the business
The audited financial statements presented at the AGM put some flesh on that reality.
In 2025, FSLL reported Shs2.803b in income against expenditure of Shs2.728b, leaving a Shs62.7m surplus after an exchange loss of Shs12.1m.
That was an improvement on 2024, when the company recorded a Shs109.8m deficit.
But the composition of the spending tells its own story. Of the 2025 expenditure, Shs1.998b went into sponsorship-fund distribution, while administrative expenses accounted for Shs585.8m.
The 2027 budget projects annual sponsorship-fee allocations from StarTimes of about Shs3.091b, with resources then spread across club distributions and other obligations, including the Secretariat, referees and VAT.
In other words, the UPL is not suddenly awash with money. It is managing a business in which a substantial share of available resources is already committed.
Which brings us back to the harder question – how does the league, and each of its clubs, keep expanding the purse?
Secretariat’s own cry
FSLL Board chairman Arinaitwe Rugyendo, while describing the government intervention as a historic milestone, acknowledged that the Secretariat itself remains outside the allocation.
He referred to the league office as the ’19th club’ and appealed for government support for its operations.
More money reaching clubs does not automatically mean more money reaching the institution running the league.
Afcon opportunity
When Dennis Mugimba, spokesperson for the Ministry of Education and Sports, got the microphone as the chief guest, he made the conversation breathe beyond the government intervention.
‘The benefits are immense,’ he said, referring to Uganda’s co-hosting of Afcon 2027 and its wider socio-economic implications.
Mugimba also chairs the Communications and Signage Sub-Committee of the Afcon 2027 Local Organising Committee.
Then came the more pertinent question: how are the clubs positioning themselves for the immediate, short and long-term benefits?
Mugimba’s point was that Afcon should not simply be something Uganda hosts.
It should be something its football institutions are prepared to exploit commercially long after the tournament is done.
His example was almost embarrassingly basic. Some elite clubs, he said, still do not have official websites.
‘Social media is good,’ Mugimba said, ‘but when some high-value potential partner wants information about you, they look for your website.’ A website, he argued, remains irreplaceable.
It is the sort of mundane detail that can determine whether a club looks like a serious commercial property or merely a football team looking for sponsorship.
Accountability
Fufa president Moses Magogo made a similar argument from another direction.
He reminded clubs that the Shs5.5b is taxpayers’ money and that receiving it brings accountability, including tax and NSSF obligations.
But he also urged clubs to understand the language of government and potential investors – numbers.
‘These numbers help us to make a compelling case for government and private sector funding of football,’ Magogo said.
The league’s communications report suggests there is an audience to sell.
During the 2025/26 season, when there were 16 clubs, the league reported approximately 230 million total reach across digital, broadcast and traditional media, alongside about 4,200 mentions and 1.6 million interactions.
Its digital audit also put the combined following of the 16 clubs across major platforms at more than 1.62 million.
That is attention. The harder part, though, is converting attention into money.
Magogo’s answer was the oldest one in football – fans. ‘Money for the league comes from fans,’ he said, arguing that clubs with bigger fan data bases strengthen the value of broadcast rights and the league itself.
Mugimba took the idea further, challenging clubs to study the La Liga model where supporters can become shareholders, rather than merely members or consumers.
Give people a stake, he suggested, and the relationship between club and supporter changes.
That is an intriguing proposition for a league whose clubs still struggle to consistently fill stadiums.
And there will be more football to sell. The UPL has expanded from 16 to 18 clubs this season following last year’s controversial format collapse after only three matchdays, which resulted in an unusual promotion and relegation arrangement.
The 2026/27 season now carries 306 fixtures across 34 matchdays. More clubs mean more matches, players, staff, travel and operational costs.
Growth, by itself, is not financial sustainability. The clubs know some of the problems.
At the AGM, they raised the cost of importing sporting equipment, medical insurance and the need for genuine consultation over new competition regulations, including the requirement to have two Under-21 players on the pitch at all times.
Kitara already giving back
Kitara president Deo Kasozi offered perhaps the most grounded view of all.
With the government having invested heavily in Hoima’s infrastructure, he said the region had already immensely benefitted.
‘As Kitara, the government now owes us nothing,’ Kasozi, the AGM hosting president, said.
The club, he noted, had already returned Shs120m to the government through taxes and stadium-related operations from the matches it had played at Hoima City Stadium.
Therein lies the bigger story. Doors have been opened. But eventually, somebody has to walk through them and build the business.
The Shs5.5b can help clubs breathe. But it cannot teach them how to breathe on their own.
Shs5.5b – Government allocation to clubs
Shs3.091b – Projected 2027 StarTimes sponsorship-fee allocation
Shs2.803b – FSLL 2025 income
Shs2.728b – FSLL 2025 expenditure
Shs62.7m – 2025 surplus after exchange deficit
Shs1.998b – 2025 sponsorship funds distributed
18 – Clubs in 2026/27
306 – Fixtures in 2026/27
230m – 2025/26 total media reach
1.62m+ – Combined club social-media following in 2025/26
4,200+ – Media mentions
1.6m – Interactions