Nabbumba relishing role to get She Corporate over the line

She Corporate’s Phiona Nabbumba patrols the pitch with elegance as they take on Kampala Queens (KQ) in the Fufa Women Super League (FWSL) at Islamic University in Uganda, Kabojja.
When they have the ball, teammates are quick to pick out Nabbumba to advance play.

It is a new role under coach Hassan Isa, far from the defensive midfield one she had after joining in 2019, and the attacking responsibility is paying off.

Unbeaten Corporate have won six and drawn three – an impressive improvement from the 2021 shortened FWSL edition, where they did not make it past the groups at Fufa Technical Centre, Njeru.

They now lead the 10-team log by five points and want to maintain form as the second half of the season starts this weekend.

“Our squad is well balanced, experienced and we have that never say die attitude,” Nabbumba tells Score at the Sharks offices in Nakawa.

“We want to win the league but we are not getting ahead of ourselves (thinking of the Caf Champions League).”

First, they relied on Grace Nassongo and Favour Nambatya for goals. Now Nabbumba and others are scoring too.

Goal-getter
Nabbumba’s first – a near post freekick near the left edge of the box against champions Lady Doves – invited controversy.

Crested Cranes teammate and Doves captain Riticia Nabbosa slapped her goalkeeper Agatha Adongo after the goal.
“I missed the incident as we were celebrating but I saw the video,”  she says.
Nabbosa might have been overcome with emotion because all of a sudden they were 2-1 down.

“I think any keeper would have organized the defence like Agatha did. It came down to what the defenders could do. Surprisingly, the ball passed through the space Nabbosa had just vacated,” Nabbumba explained.

Nabbumba’s second was a curled ball past onrushing Tooro Queens keeper Gloria ‘Zaza’ Namakula at the right edge of the box.

“That was the second attempt. On the first one, Naume hit my back. This time, her pass was better and in space. I am faster than Zaza so I knew I was either going to score or get fouled,” Nabbumba explains, showing meticulous game reading which she attributes to “constant research about my position.”

The third goal was against KQ. A freekick from over 40 yards taken with a combination of pace, power and technique to dip it just behind goalkeeper Prima Mugidde, who had stepped off her line.

Background
Nabbumba knows about goalkeeping as that is where she started, “around 2009 and 2010 because I feared boys would kick me,” under the tutelage of coach Duncan Bogere at Fimbo Academy at Kasenyi Landing Site.

She does not miss goal but “if Daphine (Nyayenga) is injured and we cannot change, the team can count on me,” Nabbumba says in her high pitched tone and a smile that belies the seriousness on pitch.
Nabbumba started taking football seriously during her Senior One at Katongole Memorial School, Nkozi where Bogere was headteacher.

That is where coach Peter Sserumaga noticed her and engineered a move “to (St. Mary’s College School) Kitende in 2012, where I studied for the next three years until the school banned girls’ football.”
From there, Nabbumba joined coach Fahad Vvumbula at London College, Nansana, where she also completed her Advanced Level education.

In her first year, Fufa introduced the Women Elite League (FWEL) and the school took part.
However, they pulled out in the second season prompting Nabbumba’s move to Rines SS for two seasons.

In 2017, Nabbumba joined Ajax Queens, from where coach Faridah Bulega summoned her to the national team for the Africa Women Cup of Nations (Awcon 2018) qualifiers against Kenya.
“We (Ajax) were good. Coach (Michael) Natima gave me time and added a lot of value to the squad.

There was a season we should have been in the playoffs but Gafford beat Kawempe and we missed out. That result left a bitter taste,” Nabbumba recalls the time when she first showed the attacking prowess that most are taking note of now.

That Ajax experience makes her value the title race she is now involved in even more because “when leading the table, you just need to take care of your games.”

Maturity 
Crested Cranes, Nabbumba was dropped for the first leg in Machakos that Uganda lost 1-0. But was involved in the second leg that ended in an agonising 0-0 draw.

“Every team has its own system and you have to adapt quickly but I have not done that as fast as the coaches would like. However, I believe I have the potential to lift the national team if trusted in attacking roles.
“Hopefully, I will be able to show more of that now and in camp before the final selection (for the Awcon 2022 in Morocco),” Nabbumba says laying her ambitions bare.

The players summoned to the national team stay in touch on a WhatsApp Group, where Nabbumba notices a positive vibe for the side that qualified for Morocco after earning a walkover against Kenya, who pulled out of the qualifiers due to administrative disputes between their federation and government.
“The girls know that a lot can change in Morocco.
First, there is a huge opportunity to make the World Cup.

If we get good preparations, I believe we can squeeze past the groups then see what happens,” Nabbumba says.

Four teams from Africa will qualify automatically for the first 32-team women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand while the 5th and 6th-placed teams enter an inter-continental qualifying tournament.
Secondly, there will be agents and scouts trying to get players. Many people say that I have played in Uganda for so long and that makes me yearn for a professional career.”

According Sharks chairman Richard Kaweere, Nabbumba’s chance will come.
“It is also our aspiration that she transcends our amateur football.

In fact, we will have a visiting scout to assess her abilities for a trial abroad,” Kaweere said of the player they also offered a scholarship to pursue a Diploma in Computer Science at Mubs.

That move, for Nabbumba, will be “another rebirth in the game if it happens.”

At a Glance

Phiona Nabbumba

Born:    July 20, 2000
Parents:    Margaret and George         Kigozi (RIP)
Position:     Midfielder
Clubs:     2014/15 - London         College, Nansana
2015/16 and 2016/17:         Rines SS
2017/18 and 2018/19:         Ajax Queens
2019/20 – She             Corporate

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