Hockey’s winning coaching duo in pursuit for more

It is true what they say. Like poles repel and unlike poles attract.

Moses Nsereko and Martin Amr Okello, who have coached hockey together for the past two years, could continue for eons and you would not hear a quarrel between them.

Nsereko, the women’s national teams coach, wears his heart on his sleeves most of the time but is very reflective. His assistant Okello, if you watch him execute his multiple roles as a player for Wananchi, umpire, and coach his Wananchi sides and Kakungulu Memorial, is a man that knows how to let go.

“As long as the roles and the head coach are known, we can work without friction because you know who to report to,” Okello shares from his experience working with people ahead of yet another assignment for Uganda at the April 18-27 Junior Africa Cup in Windhoek, Namibia.

Uganda Hockey Association (UHA) has appointed a national technical director from Trinidad and Tobago, Davis Nku. He is also working with the two coaches to polish the women's U-22 team that is taking part in the Juniors competition.

“The team is ours (the coaches) but we have things to learn from him. He involves us in every decision he wants to take,” Okello shares.

Nsereko, who also worked with Francesco Richichi at the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations in Ghana, explains that the people around him have been very important.

“Francesco came at the end when we had shaped the team with the team manager (Bridget Baine. He helped us polish things. After the tournament, we were beating ourselves up about the performance (Uganda did not win a single game and scored just once in four matches) but when we returned home, people were happy with us because they expected worse.

“Amr came in for the Zambezi Series (for the senior team in Zambia last year) and has been instrumental because he knows the girls playing in the league and Lugogo generally better.

“Nku has introduced video analysis, which has helped the girls realize their weaknesses on their own. On our end, he has pushed for professionalism and everyone knows what they have to do. He will take us steps forward and I am sure we will be ticking by Egypt (Africa Cup of Nations in August),” Nsereko says.

The task

UHA has tasked the duo to target a medal position as finishing in the top three guarantees a place at the Junior World due in Chile at a yet to be communicated date later in the year.

Ghana pulled out and a group that included them, the hosts, favourites South Africa, and Uganda has been pulled apart in favour of a round-robin tournament that includes Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Kenya. It is going to be a grueling tournament but Uganda feels ready

“We have (six) players that have put on the national team jersey before and we hope those ones will make the first timers feel at home. You know some players take part in the league but such games come with nervousness and it is always different playing out of the country.

“Nku is also helping them understand the game better. He has also introduced a new approach, where the players chip in and give views on how to make sessions better,” Nsereko shares.

The coaches have done their research too. Nsereko recalls that after dominating the Namibian senior team in Ghana, the Namibians still ran away with the game due to penalty conversions in the second half.

“I believe it is a team we can put on the back foot,” Nsereko says while Okello, who has had many battles with the Kenyans in East African school games, believes Uganda can get an edge over them.

“We should meet some familiar faces against Kenya. But while we are technically better than them, they are physically stronger and more agile. We have to avoid going into duels with them, let the ball move, and dominate them in one-on-one situations,” Okello, who has also followed up on South Africa’s pre-tournament trip to Indonesia, says.

The future

The general expectation is that this squad is the future of the game. Six of them have played for the Hockey She Cranes in the last three years and the expectation is that at least three or four are already knocking on the door to join. So the coaches have an eye on Egypt too.

“There is stuff we are teaching them like physical play and pitch intelligence which we will certainly use for the senior team too. If we take some of these players for the senior team then our work will be easier,” Okello says.

Nsereko believes that the 2022 trip to Ghana left them no choice but to build afresh. The trip to Namibia is exactly what they needed to prove the point and “to fill the gaps we have with the senior team.”

“In Ghana, I saw the importance of young players on a team. If you are not going to win, you want to build something better. That is why we went back to the grassroots to build something akin to what we see with the Nigerian men’s senior team. We were told it was built from such youth tournaments,” Nsereko says.

Grounded coaches

Fortunately for Uganda, the two coaches are no strangers to development work. In fact, they are still active in school hockey and will return from Namibia to lead teams to the Uganda Secondary Schools Sports Association (USSSA) Games in Bukedea.

Nsereko started coaching in 2012 when he was leading his club Kampala’s school projects. He introduced hockey in Kakungulu Memorial and also went to Mt. St. Mary’s Namagunga. He has also coached at Gayaza High and City High but also introduced the game in Namilyango College (2013) and Naalya SS Bweyogerere (2016).

“Our hockey and coaching is still developmental. That is why you find players in the league still being taught basics. I have always told UHA that I would be more important at the development stage but I also thank God for the opportunities to coach the national teams.

“It has helped me develop, rub shoulders and learn from the top coaches on the continent and from various workshops. When we went to Ghana we did not know we had to make running subs to rotate players. We substituted only when players were tired like it is done in football. Now we know that when building a team, you build an entire 18 and not just 11.

“We are now being pushed by UHA to make a coaches’ association and conduct some local courses – that is the next step,” Nsereko shares.

Okello, on the other hand, started coaching in 2018, when the late Innocent Mbabali asked him to help with nurturing the current crop of Wananchi players (both male and female).

“From there, the passion grew. I have been doing other roles like umpiring but my biggest focus is on coaching. I have weighed the opportunities between coaching and umpiring and the picture is clear on what I want. It is also my dream to be the national team head coach at the right time,” Okello shares.

Hockey She Cranes coaches a glance

Moses Nsereko

Position: Head coach

Previous medals: Zambezi Series 2024 (gold), Hockey Fives 2019 (bronze)

Major tournaments: Africa Cup 2022, Zambezi Series 2024, Junior Africa Cup 2025

Clubs: KHC Swans (ACCC 2014)

School projects: Kakungulu Memorial 2012, Mt. St. Mary’s Namagunga 2012, Namilyango College 2013, City High 2015, Naalya SS Bweyogerere 2016, Gayaza High 2019

School medals (nationals): Namagunga (gold 2012-2014), Kakungulu (girls’ silver and boys’ bronze 2012), City High (girls’ bronze 2015)

Martin Okello

Position: Assistant coach

Previous medals: Zambezi Series 2024 (gold)

Major tournaments: Zambezi Series 2024, Junior Africa Cup 2025

Clubs: Wananchi (various domestic titles)

School projects: Kakungulu Memorial (since 2021)

School medals: (Nationals gold 2021-2024), (Feasssa Games gold 2022 & 2023)