Annet Salongo, a female footballer who loves the sport to bits. PHOTO/ROLAND D NASASIRA
Looking analytically at the teams playing at Kasana playground in Luweero during the recently concluded regional youth dialogue on peaceful electoral participation, Annet Salongo’s passion and love for football is evident. Throughout the interview, I struggled to have her full attention about her journey as the only female footballer in the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) team, where she patrols the team’s midfield as a number six.
Unfortunately, her team has exited the tournament at the semi-finals stage, something she is restless about.
Genesis in sport
Salongo’s journey as a female footballer stems from childhood at the age of five. The only girl in a family of three children, football was the dominant sport played at home. She was active in football at home but the sport was not open to girls at school. While at St Donozio Ssebugwawo Mixed School in 2010 in Primary Seven, there was an interschool tournament near her school. This was aimed at, among other things, spotting talent at district level.
“As I played, the coach spotted me as a captain. After the tournament, I was selected to be part of the school football team to play at the national level,” she recounts. “I did not know I would have the chance because I had escorted my colleagues. Even then, it was easy to pick interest because I played football at home.”
Getting competitive
Her first competitive matches were when she played for her school during the national competitions that took place in Arua District. In secondary school while studying at London College Nansana, Kibuli and Lubiri secondary schools, Salongo was also part of the school teams that played national tournament in Mbarara, Lira and Soroti districts respectively. It was during this time that her teammates nicknamed her Xavi and Iniesta (former Barcelona midfielders). “I earned the nicknames because I like to play one-touch football (receive the ball and pass it),” she chuckles and adds, “Locally, I admired former Cranes national player, Tonny Mawejje.”
Limp out of the career
In her first year in 2018 at Kyambogo University while playing for the She Corporates at the nationals during the Stanbic Uganda cup tournament in Sheema District in western Uganda, Salongo sustained a knee injury at the quarter finals. “Everything became complicated because the injury required surgery. Due to financial challenges, I did not go for the surgery and I was forced to retire from professional football in 2018. Since then, I only play when there is a minor tournament,” Salongo says.
Moral support is key
Salongo emphasises that being supported by male teammates doesn’t make her the weaker team player or sex.
She does not look at herself as a girl playing with and against men, but rather something that instead motivates her. “I will continue playing in as many corporate leagues as I can. What is demoralising is the knee injury I play with since I never got the support I needed from my club to undergo surgery. When I made inquiries, I was told it would cost Shs9m per knee because it was a complete tear. The second knee was also affected. Whenever I went on the pitch, I used the uninjured knee for support,’’ Salongo speaks of her challenges, adding that as a woman, she at times lacks resources to buy extra aids.
What teammates say
It is a tough call for a woman to play in a male dominated game. What has, however, made it easy for Salongo to blend in are her teammates such as Davis Kayingo who admit that playing in a team that has a female player is a challenge. “She [Salongo] can control the ball and pass it. On the pitch, her biggest challenge is the inability to tackle muscular opponents. They play against her like they are playing against a peer. You have to cover her up and watch her back. At the same time, you have to motivate her because it is one of the ways of connecting with her,” Kayingo says.
Confidence boost
For Desse Aristo, having Salongo on the team is talent discovery and improvement. Every time she plays, she gains confidence. “We encourage her not to panic while playing. Her work rate is not as high but we make sure she is in the right position. We keep pushing and encouraging her every time we get on the pitch,” Aristo says.
Unlike Aristo and Kayingo, to Simon Mugerwa, playing with Salongo is all about giving her protection and finding out if the opponent has a female team player. “We understand that she cannot perform with the same energy and pace as the rest of the players. As such, we have to put in more effort to make up for her efforts,” Mugerwa says. Her coach, Lynnet Nanyonjo, says much as Salongo is a good player who loves and understands the game, she requires extra push, attention and motivation. “It is easy to work with her because she is a fast learner. The techniques and skills I impart in the boys are the same I impart in her. Unless she is unwell, she is always part of the starting 11,” Nanyonjo says.
Future plans
Born to Teddy Nanyanzi and Evaristo Kayongo at Kisubi on Entebbe Road, Annet salongo dreams of becoming a coach, a journey she had started on by undertaking training under the Confederation of African Football (Caf) coaching badges. This is a journey she did not complete after she fell ill with two weeks to do exams to complete the course. The youth interparty corporate football tournaments where Salongo plays are side events of the scheduled regional youth dialogues on peaceful electoral participation organised by the multiparty youth forum and The Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy. They are designed to promote tolerance and coexistence among the youth from different political parties. The dialogues address underlying issues such as limited access to credible information, insufficient civic education and vulnerability to political manipulation by engaging young leaders in constructive discussions and capacity-building activities such as football.
