He earns big from performing ball tricks

Tamale’s dream is that he is able to attract many other youth to the sport. PHOTOS BY GEORGE KATONGOLE

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Football is the beautiful game but freestyle footballers have curated it. With just a ball, Uganda’s top free stylist, Andrew Stewart Tamale, excites adoring fans with an incredible display of tricks, writes George Katongole.

Andrew Stewart Tamale, aka Andy Skillz, is a freestyle footballer living in Ntinda and is the only known person in Uganda who makes a living through performing tricks and skills by juggling the ball.
For the past two years, he has been cashing in by performing for crowds - usually for about 15 minutes to jobs ranging from starring in company advertisements, opening school games, and entertaining guests at corporate parties.
“Whenever there are people looking for something fresh, I get the honour to perform,” Tamale, who performed at the opening and closing ceremonies of the Copa Coca-Cola games in Mbarara in May, says. Tamale was recently hired to appear in the GOtv commercial, which he says is his biggest business so far.
Birth of passion
Tamale, the third born of four siblings was born to Prosperous Ssentongo of Kiwatule and the late Josephine Kirabo, says he started admiring freestylers during his Primary Seven vacation.
“While I played football and got bursaries, I was interested in doing something special,” he recalls following his obsession with Brazilian football legend, Ronaldinho, who defied forces of gravity with his insane tricks on the ball.
“Freestyle was not popular at all yet I wanted to be unique,” he adds.
Having finished primary school at Kiwatule Parents, he decided to try and perform tricks on the ball at Kyambogo College School, where he completed his O-level. But he had no teacher apart from YouTube videos. He persuaded his late mum who bought him his first pair of football boots and an Arsenal FC jersey.
“I only knew normal juggling and keeping the ball. But some stunts were hard especially ‘Around the World’ but I kept convincing myself that it was possible,” he says. Around the World is when you juggle the ball up in the air with one foot and bring that same foot all the way around the soccer ball and continue to juggle it without it hitting the ground.
Baby steps
“I learned how to balance the ball on my head, on the side of my head, even on my chin,” Tamale shares. His success has come through a lot of hard work, practice, dedication, with his training regime seeing him practice at Kabira Country Club or Kyambogo University for three to five hours a day, four days a week.

Nonetheless, he was not ready to deal with the overnight fame that earned him a name, ‘The Lost Brazilian’. By this time, word was going around that Tamale was a ‘celeb’ of sorts outside school with his trickery.
“I used to refuse to perform at school but one day at the school talent show they bought me all the kits and that is the only time I remember performing in public at school,” he says.
Tamale, who had a dream of becoming a football star has a big online following on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, where his videos regularly pick up thousands of views and his growing profile has brought him to the attention of the biggest companies in Uganda.
He has in the past worked with Heineken, Uganda Baati, Rock Boom, Pepsi, Coca-Cola and at the University Football League. For an appearance, Tamale charges between Shs1m and Shs2m, depending on the company.
Big plans
The 18-year-old, who stays with his brother, Isaac Mwesigwa of Rise and Shine High School in Ntinda, has struck up a close friendship with Radar Media Consults director, Swaib Raul Kanyike - and the pair are planning to popularise the sport by introducing it to different parts of the country. While the entertainment side of freestyle football is blowing up, the competition side has been sorely lacking and Tamale and Kanyike are out to change that.
“We realised things were not right for the sport and that a lot needs to be developed for the competition,” he says.
Ivorian Abdou Kader Kone is the African champion after winning the maiden edition of African Freestyle Football Championship held in Lagos in September.
At such a stage, two players have three minutes on the clock. One player will do a trick and then their opponent has to do a skill back at them, with judges deciding the winner on who has shown the most style, control and creativity.
Tamale, therefore, continues practicing as the stream of good paying jobs shows no sign of drying up. He just wants to become the best.
A bright future
Tamale says keeps learning from five-time world champion Andrew Henderson, whom he follows religiously on YouTube.
“He does it at speed, he chucks his leg round the ball four times on the bounce. He is doing handstands, balancing the ball on the back of his foot,” he says.
“For me, honestly, the best thing is being able to share the skills that I have worked so hard on with children at Edgars Youth Programme and Excel Soccer Academy and motivate them to follow their dreams. When I started freestyle, even my dad never believed in me,” he says.
He concludes by saying that everyone is different and has their own passions, so to be able to know that there is a place for everyone, that’s what’s great about freestyle.

About freestyle football
Freestyle football is divided into five major styles based on the moves performed, which are,
Lower Body Style - In this style, players are allowed to use only their legs to perform tricks.
Upper Body Style - In this style, players are allowed to only use their head, shoulders, and chest.
Sitting Down Style - In this style, all tricks have to be performed with the player sitting down. Both upper and lower body can be used.
Ground Moves Style - In this style, players perform football moves and are free to move around anywhere in the field while performing tricks.
Special Style - In this style players perform acrobatic dance moves while keeping the football from falling onto the ground.
A set of moves that are commonly performed in competitions are, Maradona 7, Around the World, Crossover, and Hop the World.
Some of the major international competitions conducted for freestyle foootball are, F3 World Tour, Superball - World Open Championships, Red Bull Street Style, and F3 European Championships.