Alonso: A trailblazer living youth football dream

Ronald Alonso Nimusiima says "football has given him life" and is fleetingly genuine.

Nuwasiima’s best days were with Bishop McAllister College Kyogyera, a former powerhouse in western Uganda under coach Ali Tabuley which brought the likes of Feni Ali and Godfrey Bunni to the football scene. In 2011, when the competition was held in Arua, he was the overall regional top scorer despite seeing the net thrice in the national finals.

He recalls such days with a ting of pride.

“I was a very good footballer at school and that earned me many opportunities,” he said.

In 2012, he was employed by Ankole Tea Estates as a clerk despite joining to play for their team before he pursued a Diploma of Social work and Social Administration at Ankole Western University, Mbarara.

After completing his studies, he joined Kasese New Villa and scored the winning goal against VCC at Nakivubo as the team was promoted to the Fufa Big League. But the motivation was low as he downgraded to regional sides Six O’clock and Ntoda before hanging up the boots.

“My rise was in football as I used to get bursaries since primary school but my big dream was to create an impact on young people. I could not see myself achieving that dream as a player. So I quit,” Nimusiima said.

Seizing the opportunity

In March 2018, Nimusiima came up with an idea of starting a football team to fulfill his dream. The team’s trajectory is encouraging.

“There was a gap at that time in western Uganda and especially in Ntungamo. So it was very easy to start. Football opened the doors for me and I want to use it to open doors for other young people,” he said.

Not many people were convinced at the start. Only 20 kids would form the pioneer group but when the team reached the regional finals of the Airtel Rising Stars (ARS) in August that year losing to Kigezi in the final and moreover on penalties, belief and vibe started growing.

There were bigger things to come as some players were selected to represent the region in the national finals while Daniel Tembo was named the MVP.

The academy built on that solid start and now the likes of Davis Kakaire (UPDF), Jordan Amanya, Owen Akankwasa and Ian Nimusiima, are flying the academy flag high.

But the major achievement is securing bursaries for young people working with local schools such as Mother Care, Kyamate Model, Muntuyera HS, Green Valley PS, Mbarara High, Royal Giants Mityana and St Jude Masaka, among others.

A strong link

Many youth football projects have come to grinding halts. The Kampala Kids League (KKL), Friends of Football, Uganda Youth Soccer Academy and Proline, among others, have made significant strides but have collapsed under the weight of expectation.

The underlying challenges are within the weak legislation that does not offer a supportive environment to youth football leaving academies in survival mode. The Uganda Youth Football Association (UYFA) has recently been empowered by FUFA to tackle training compensation but it is still very early days.

Nuwasiima is aware of the operating environment his academy is exposed to but he is optimistic of the future.

“My dream is to help players move to the next stage. Big teams take academy players for free. I realised there was a need to start a club that could absorb those who are ready to play competitively,” he said.

That is when Lions Academy started Lions FC, a senior team to absorb some of the academy graduates. At the beginning of this season, they took over Rukungiri’s Ahamwaro, which plays in the Western Region – Kigezi Zone.

Sustainability

Business owners in the community have lent the academy a hand. Currently, Lion Academy has three sponsors including Sap General Hardware, Kyosha Electronics and Baya Veterinary Pharmacy.

Nimusiima says that it was easy to attract sponsors because of the positive impact the team was making in the community.

“We are a community club and I think the people should be involved. But for the business people I made them aware that if the youth are empowered, they can be positive ambassadors in the community,” he said.

The academy and club is co-owned by Nimusiima and Dr Yake Basulira, the president. It operates an annual budget of Shs134m.

To raise the funds, the academy has projects including stone quarrying in Ruhoko, a five-acre farm that produces water melons and tomatoes and the FC Lions Chapati Centre. Other sources are through merchandising.

Money from the quarrying project is allocated to transport expenses, the chapatti centre facilities the daily requirements of the team camp while farming ensures the provision of player allowances. All other costs are funded by the executive committee members who fundraise from the community.

The players are awarded bonuses on top of the signing fees.

“This is short-term work and we shall review it at the end of the season. We think people are convinced that we can play at the top leagues and they can support us,” he said.

Challenges

Born on March 5, 1989 in Maseruka, Sheema District, Nimusiima, a social worker, says football is his life. He is the regional coordinator for the Uganda Youth Football Associations (UYFA) and a member of the marketing committee.

Having started as a coach, the Caf D holder is now the chief executive officer. His dream, in his own words, is to develop the Lions project into a club like Vipers with its own infrastructure.

“All my efforts are geared at making the club succeed. If it doesn’t succeed, I am doomed because right now it is the only job I have and my family also survives on it. I think we are on the right track,” he said.

Lacking their own infrastructure has left them at crossroads. The team uses Kyamate Stadium as their home ground but there have been misunderstandings with the district administration and Ntoda, a local rival team owned by Fufa Excom member Frank Akunzire that also plays in the Regional League that sent them to exile in Kyangara. They now use the stadium for academy training and league match days for the club.

“Maybe they feared the competition but we are motivated to do even better. We are not enjoying Ntungamo as our home and we are even thinking of taking the project to Sheema,” Nimusiima said.

His ambitions will not stop at anything. In 2020, he had embarked on a project of fundraising for a team bus which yielded Shs22m in pledges and about Shs4m in cash. But when the Covid-19 pandemic struck, the fundraiser was abandoned.

The paradox is that the team is found in the home district of the Minister for Education and Sports Janet Kataaha Museveni, whom they look at to raise their profile and funds for future activities.

Nimusiima is keen on acquiring transport means for the team through organising a marathon on top of other sports facilities.

In January, the club's fingers were burnt when they lured Scottish coach Stephen Pritchard to their technical team.

Such is the ambition of the young man who hoped to use Pritchard’s name to raise the profile of the team. Not much was achieved as the gamble collapsed following different approaches to how the team would be handled. It is a challenge of its own as the club has a long way in developing ideal coaches for their philosophy.

Lions Academy management

President - Dr Yake Basulira

CEO - Ronald Nimusiima

Chairman – Stanley Kagame

Patron – Fred Bamwesigye & William Mucunguzi

Member – Eng Asaph Abenaitwe