In August, heavy machinery descended on a 12 acre piece of land, 5km from Lugazi town, in the enclaves of Mabira along Kampala-Jinja highway, to clear the ground and therefore begin a dream – the construction of a stadium which shall be home to LUGAZI FC.
LUGAZI FC as a brand has grown in leaps and bounds, which is a remarkable symbol of growth of professional sport in this part of the country, thanks to the collective effort of the management, funders, fans and other stakeholders.
The stadium is envisioned to include; two (2) football pitches [the main and external], an athletics track, netball court, basketball court, boxing ring, administrative offices, accommodation for the camping teams, two conference halls, training center for coaches & referees among other amenities.
Artistic Impression – Arial View of the Stadium Facility
The project shall take form in 3 – 4 phases to completion, depending on the mobilization of funds. Phase one (1) shall kickoff off with groundbreaking activities of the external pitch such as; grading, leveling, compacting, grass planting and construction of the drainage channel, all of which are under way, as illustrated in the collection of pictorials seen here.
Phase 1 – Grading of the External Football Pitch
This shall then prepare ground for erecting of the perimeter fence, enclosing the players’ dressing rooms, pavilion and the administration office.
We dream of one day playing in the top flight competitions which is the primary incentive of planning for these facilities, in preparation for the big stage. Similarly, parallel plans are ongoing for the sports academy, women’s sports competition teams in netball, basketball, football, athletics etc. All these sports disciplines are intended to make the facility a one-stop center for mobilizing and nurturing young sports men & women across the country, starting with the Lugazi community.
Realizing the objective of constructing a stadium is not by any means a light or swift assignment but rather a long term goal requiring galvanized effort of stakeholders over a considerable period of time. Our sponsors, most notably Kawuulu foundation, Electronic Network Services and others have done a tremendous job of supporting the initiative since the inception of the vision.
In the next phases, we hope to engage more stakeholders, beginning with sports federations, sponsors, funders and sports lovers, far and wide to join us actualize this feat, which as envisaged, shall be a multipurpose sports facility hosting all kinds of sports and games.
It’s a privilege to have grown up in Lugazi and witnessed all the progress the area has made, over the years. First, as an administrative center from a town to a Municipality, but also in the sports field; to the point of having a popular football club, known across the country, in the name of LUGAZI FC.
The glorious history, where Lugazi had highly competitive teams in the Super League like SCOUL FC, Lugazi United FC, featuring topnotch sports personalities like Sadiq Wasswa, Anthony Bongole (Proline FC Coach), Richard Makumbi [Nyamityobora FC Coach], Amasha Henry (Lugazi Municipal FC Coach) among others could have past, but there is renewed optimism for a bright future in this generation, with such developments coming up.
Evidently, Lugazi still produces crème de la crème national sports persons to date, like Charles Lukwago [KCCA FC], Fahad Bayo [FC Ashdod, Israel], Nicholas Wadada [Azam FC, Tanzania], Feni Ali [Kyetume FC] etc. There is an unambiguous ray of hope for the future ahead of Lugazi and the nation as a whole, which through this stadium project, the initiators intend to harness.