Who stole the integrity of Uganda's Sports Federations? We celebrate She Cranes Netball Team

Mary Nuba at the recent Fast 5 tournament in New Zealand, where she was voted the best shooter. Image source: softpowerug

As I reach out to train a young enthusiastic girl in basketball, I am filled with worry, yet again, I am filled with joy. How can I tell this child that sports in our country will never put food on her plate? Will she understand that even at the National Level, she will still beg for 5,000 UGX transport? She looks at the success stories of Jane Asinde and Clare Lamunu in basketball; she hears of the soccer stars like Onyango Denis, who plays for the Mamelodi Sundowns in South Africa, and Sadat Anaku from the Acholi quarters now playing in the Scottish Premier League or Ibrahim Ssekagya who now trains the New York Red Bulls in the United Soccer League; she has seen Wokorach Phillip at the front of the NewVision or Daily Monitor newspapers; she has seen Enabu Jimmy and Fayed Baale catch flights all over the continent. How can I make her understand that those pictures do not translate to monetary value? Alas, I want her to grow in sports. She could be the one out of thousand girls that will one day get a college scholarship to the United States. She could be our next Clare Lamunu!

A couple of weeks ago, at least every Ugandan on social media interacted with a picture or the trending video of the She Cranes Netball team dancing to the bandana song at the Fast5 tournament recently in Newzealand. This was coupled with a wave of excitement when the She Cranes beat the World's Number One ranking team, the Australia Aussies, placing them in the 5th position at the tournament and World rankings. Their arrival back home has faced myriad issues exposing the pain nearly every athlete in Uganda has been through or will probably go through. The former Assistant Captain nearly broke down while being hosted on NBS Sport. She lamented the empty promises they have swam in from the Federation and the Government. This is just months from the recent Netball saga where the players returned from the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and were welcomed by a 50,000 UGX (13 USD) allowance for the tournament. When this got to the media, the Federation panicked to send mobile money to have the media backfire. I managed to have a one-on-one with Cholhok Mary Nuba, a Golden Shooter for the Netball Loughborough Lightning team in the United Kingdom, and the She Cranes National Basketball Team of Uganda.

Who is Cholhok Mary Nuba?

I am Cholhok Mary Nuba. I started playing netball at 14 at St. Mary's Kitende Secondary School. Coach Fred Mugerwa was my trainer at the start, and he is still my coach at National Level, and I mainly learned the basics, like how to step. My other coaches were Suule and Rashid Mubiru, who developed me up to this level. I had my best time in high school as I was the top scorer, and with time I got confidence that I could do something in the sport. I had never thought that I would be international one day. I got pregnant at the end of my senior four and decided to have the baby. I gave birth at the end of 2017.

In 2018, I had to return to sports, and I also wanted to join University, so I decided to join Nkumba University for a Diploma. When I joined the University, I was not on a scholarship, but it was big on sports. However, I enjoyed the environment it provided, as most of my former teammates from St. Mary's Kitende had joined Nkumba. I picked rhythm very quickly and was soon invited to the National Team. My return to sports post-birth was tough as I had to push myself to the core, such as waking up at 6:00 am to work out to get my fitness back. Of course, the basics never go away. When I joined the National Team, I wasn't a starting player, so I had to put in all the work. In 2019, Africa University Games took place at Makerere University, Uganda. Boom! that is how scouts spotted me to join the Loughborough University team in London. In the same year, we had Series tryouts, so we traveled to London as the National Team, which allowed me to utilize my time on the court and finalize with the scouts. By the end of 2019, I was in London on a scholarship at the University. I am making my 4th year which is also my final year. I am studying Sports Coaching.

Your story is inspiring. Almost every Ugandan athlete dreams of making it to that top-notch professional level, but a few have made it.

Honestly, it was about luck. I believe I am lucky. Sometimes as an athlete, you feel lost when you follow your path, but I believe God creates everyone's path differently. I would not be where I am today if I had not given birth. It's a motivation to keep going hard. So every athlete will most definitely come across challenges, but it is the attitude that matters. Look at every challenge as though it is paving a new path for you.

Please comment about the two netball payers that disappeared recently.

That is not in my place to do. I think someone choosing to leave (which has happened in all sports) is because of how we have been pushed to the wall and more so to the corner Players are forced to exit the country when they see a chance of them rebuilding their lives somewhere else Since we do not have the sufficient funding, why should someone be held back? This is all happening because of desperation and how athletes are pushed to the limit The frustration that we have to face in the camps, demanding our allowance, and when you speak up, you are threatened not to return to the National team. When players see this opportunity, they decide to stay, as they do not see a future in netball or all sports. The people managing these sports need to look into this. People do not leave if they are happy. It is a red flag to see our athletes leaving the teams and completely disappearing into a country they barely know.

Philip Wokorach retweet in response to the Former Assistant Netball Captain's plea.

How was it playing on the local scene in Uganda?

I never got a chance to play so much in the local league as the year I started training with a local team, NIC, the National squad, traveled, and had several engagements. However, I got to train with the team. The biggest tournament was East African Level, but I did not get to play. The National Team had test series in the UK. I also played basketball locally, but I was rubbish as I was used only for rebounds and defense. When I trained with NIC, it was one of the best teams in the league. It was a great club as they tried to cater to the athletes even though it was not the best support an athlete should have. For example, the highest-paid person on the team could be earning monthly around 800,000 UGX (USD 215), and it will most probably be one person making this. I juggled a lot with transport as I would get my allowance once a week. Madam Uchanda Jocelyn, the team manager then, was supportive even when I was making my return to sports. My uncle also supported me financially. However, any independent person will most probably struggle to afford these needs. I and some teammates were coming from Entebbe to train from Kampala, which was very expensive. The cost was nearly 15000 UGX while heading to the training grounds, and we would incur the exact fee as we headed back home. We also had to box out for the taxis as it was peak hour, and everyone was scrambling to board the taxi.

How has it been so far playing at Loughborough University?

It has been exciting. I have gotten to learn how talented I am. I am given a lot of trust, which gives me the confidence to be the kind of player I am. I feel the growth I have experienced with each season. The love from the local teams and fans also gives me courage; I did not experience this while in Uganda. Even at times when we get National team calls sometimes, someone is trying to put you down on the team, which is quite different as everyone is trying to raise you here. I take my experience from the University to the National team and consistently seek to create a comfortable environment for every player. We need to celebrate our little achievements, which I have learned while at Loughborough There is no need to tear each other down.

How has it been playing for the Loughborough Lightning Netball team (What are those shocks that came to you yet that is what our local teams/ federation should be doing?)

The whole catering for the athletes is shocking When I came here at Loughborough, I was in a bubble where I felt weird seeing everyone trying to develop me in unison Like taking me to the gym, so gain some strength, having a physiotherpists see me like once or twice a week, having a programmed workload, a nutritionists to make sure i am eating the right quantities of food, and having someone checking in on how i am coping Even my sleep patterns are followed up These are things we do not consider back in Uganda Like our environment in Uganda lacks the workload, the gyming, the health tracking and the food which are normalized here Obviously, duh, you will see a physiotherapist every week as you hve been training and have a game People here do actually listen to you I struggled with having conversations even about the slightest pains I would get Back home in Uganda, we strap our hurting body parts and even play with them Ankles which are a commonly injured, are always played within that state Most people on the medical teams for athletes just look at it like this (she holds a pain and looks round it), and say, eno ankle swelling naye ojakubeela bulungi, genda onzanye (this ankle looks swollen but it will be fine Go play) You are forced to train on injured joints, but when the worst comes o the worst you will become neglected I found it intriguing that you can actually open up to the physio that you are not okay and they will slowly work with you until you are ready to compete But once you tell the team doctor or the coaches back in Uganda, (Anko yangye ennuma), you will most probably be cut from the tournament We don’t have that environment in Uganda were athletes can confidently trust their team’s leadership to let them know how they feel without fear of getting cut from the team or getting benched for the next couple of games if not the whole tournament However, as a country, we are developing slowly by slowly and we cannot compare to such countries that have been in this sport for the past 100 years But at the same time we need to admire and copy keeping in mind that the sporting world is developing at a fast pace and we wouldn’t want to remain behind on this.

The challenge of how athletes are catered to is one of the issues that I have every time we camp as the National team. We do not have a weighted program that places us all at injury risk. We train on outside courts which is genuinely a harsh training environment. The only advantage it has is that we get used to these hard conditions, and when presented with easy conditions, it makes our work easier. We are genetically blessed and talented; otherwise, we train in high-risk environments.

What has it been like representing the country?

It is one of my best moments. I get to play netball itself, a sport that I love. I get to spend time with the girls. We get to laugh and have serious faces at the same time. It is my happy place to play a sport I am passionate about and represent Uganda, even with the ups and downs. My best experiences this year have been with the National Team. Playing for Uganda is something I treasure and honor, and I hope people will learn and get inspired by my journey. I want to use this opportunity to inspire other girls not just because of my success but how I pushed through life even with the challenges I faced. For example, people have different narratives about South Sudanese being short-tempered and disorganized by the war, but looking at how far I have gone, I hope those stereotypes will change.

She Cranes at the recent Fast 5 series in New Zealand. Image source: nbssport

You are a mother. How are you balancing sports and motherhood?

It is hard! It is really, really hard! I am privileged to have my mum support me back home in South Sudan. Being a mother is tough, especially when you are not with your child. After every six months, I travel home and visit my child and spend a little time with him. We hope for something better in the coming year, such as bringing him to London to stay with me. But then again, being an athlete, I move a lot, such as new offers that require me to relocate. Balancing it all is hard; as I have to focus as a student, being a mother does not stop, I have to perform on the field and respond to all these international calls. One needs to be organized and have supportive people around them.

How did you come to represent Uganda?

We moved to Uganda back in 2004. That is like 21 years of my life were spent in Uganda. That is how I learned the local languages and the cultures The fact that I also managed to grow my career in Uganda also leads me to pledge my allegiance to Uganda. Also, South Sudan is unstable, and we do not have netball. I saw an opportunity and went straight for it. I am a citizen by registration.

Whenever you have a National team call, do you come to Uganda for the camps?

It depends on how short the tournament is. For example, in the Fast 5s, where the team trained for only a week, I did not see a reason to come to Uganda. I was in London already, and that is where the games take place. For the commonwealth games, I had to travel and join the team. I was off-season, and I was back home anyway. After visiting my family for a month, I joined the camp from June till July, with the games in August. Otherwise, it depends on how long the time frame is before the tournament. If it is a long period, I will travel. But if it is like a one-week training session, I most definitely miss it as I have school and my team that I am already balancing.

Do you mind talking about the facilitation at the National team camps?

My comment would be it is very poor This year in particular we have really struggled as netball As a player, I don’t know much depth in the Federation’s work So i can't tell what is wrong But we have had a lot of challenges in facilitation such as the money The Federation says that it has no more There is a lot of chaos with this whole situation The environment we are facilitated in fo camps doesn’t make the best cut We need to have the best facilities surrounding us We actually didn’t have a proper camp for the Commonwealth games which are the highest games but we were still expected to compete and perform It is not like the commonwealth games suddenly happened; the federation was in the know that these games were coming up and they had to plan and prepare adequately for us which didn't happen We trained a whole month and a half without being paid until today When we went for Commonwealth games, our allowance wasn’t given to us straight away The camping facility wasn’t the best We were camping in someone's house It is not news anywhere This is very unacceptable On top of this, we were still not receiving any payment We didn’t have a proper physiotherapist The whole management team seemed not to know what to do Funnily enough, we posted our best performance at the International level even though we had such hardships as a team Do you know what it means to go to a new country without a coin It is bad We were excited to shop a few stuff for ourselves and our loved ones but we did not have money Nearly the whole committee literally traveled with us to these games, so how didn’t they prepare for our financial needs forehand While at the games, it was not just netball that hadn’t received their allowances and payments The rugby and badminton teams were also going through the same We made noise about this in unison and that is when they acted upon this It has been about three times this year where we have camped and gone for competitions, returned home and the federation goes silent on us Post-competition we are literally ignored That is why you see a lot of chaos going on on social media as we are seeking answers to why we are not paid, informed how much we are going to get paid, and who pays us We as players, we do not actually want to get involved with the whole politics of the system but we are speaking up to get want we deserve I am glad we finally spoke up Hopefully, this will not be repeated in the future.

Have you been given your allowance for the Fast 5 tournament?

No, we haven't been given any allowance. The allowance we are getting now is the Commonwealth allowance. It has been like four months since the games, but we are just receiving that allowance. I cannot tell when we will receive the rest of the money. There are a lot of rumors that we are supposed to receive 20 million each from this previous tournament, but we cannot tell when this will be actualized. So we continue making noise to get the allowances.

What happened to the funds collected at the Fundraising Dinner held by the She Cranes netball team?

Oh, the dinner was meant to collect funds for building a home for netball in Uganda since we do not have a proper arena or court where we can train. This affects our team as we do not have a home ground. (This is where I say I must detach myself from the Federation politics.) We, as players, do not have any updates about the steps that have been taken in establishing a court for us But let us give this some time as the Federation could still be looking for the perfect land location. We hope for the best. We currently lack modern facilities, yet we are one of the countries blessed with talent. If only our leaders could put in effort towards establishing good facilities, we would host more international games in Uganda. For example, we are part of the commonwealth games and ranked 6th Worldwide (the more games we keep playing, the higher we rank.) Previously we have been lagging because we have not been going to such tournaments due to the lack of enough funds.

Cartoon by Ogon. Image Source: Daily Monitor

Any word for athletes in Uganda?

To mothers in sports: We are very talented, brave, furious, resilient, and courageous. Childbirth is not a piece of cake. It is another life you have created, and you are now responsible for taking care of it. But again, you have the courage to return to the field and continue performing. Please do not give up because of the whole narrative that you are a mother and cannot make a comeback to sports. I did it, and if I did it, another woman can do it; continue trusting your guts and go for what you want. When you feel that fire to return to the field, go for it. Do not let anyone convince you that you cannot. Yes, you can.

To the young girls in sports: Sports is not something that you wake up to and love. It is something that you develop. It is the courage to go out and do your best every day. Take yourself as your inspiration. I did not see anyone who inspired me until I was fourteen. Discovering your talent regardless of age, go for it with passion.