TOTAL ENERGIES MINI-LEAGUE RESUMES IN NWOYA

By Christopher Nyeko 

NWOYA: The new season of the annual TotalEnergies EP Uganda mini league in Nwoya kicked off on Saturday, August 26th, at Anaka Primary School, where the opening ceremony was presided over by the Nwoya East County Legislator,  Okello Geoffrey Charles.

In his opening remarks, Okello praised Total Energies for prompting girls sports, requested Total Energies to extend the competition to the entries in Acholi district, citing the fact that Nwoya district with oil pool is within Acholi subregion, and emphasized discipline among the participants during the courses of the mini league.

He urged that the prizes under the female categories should not be as low as only three million shillings for the winner, advising that they should be higher than the prizes in the male categories, which are six million shillings for the winning team as stipulated in the prize list.

The competition has returned, with headlining women’s teams and new men’s teams qualifying for the league.

The league, which started off in Purongo sub county, has since incorporated the entire district to include all sub counties.

Over 50 teams from all sub counties and town councils in the district competed in the Nwoya Talent Cup, and 16 men’s teams and 8 women’s teams qualified for the mini-league.

These are set to contend for the championship title in their respective categories.

They will also be competing for various prizes, medals, and sports equipment. Last year’s champions, Young Elephant FC Academy, aim to defend their title while the rest of the teams are vying to mount a successful challenge of their own.

Speaking at the kickoff ceremony, Caroline Namyalo, TotalEnergies EP Uganda’s Manager Corporate Social Responsibility, reiterated the company’s commitment to providing the young players with a platform to grow, thrive, and inspire others while also ensuring that they benefit from essential life skills such as teamwork, discipline, sportsmanship, and talent development.

Our support towards the development of the sport in the district and among young people is enshrined in the TotalEnergies pillars of promoting diversity, youth inclusion, and education, creating shared value, as well as the UN Sustainable Development Goal 3 of good health and wellbeing for the host communities we operate in.”

“We are particularly proud of our last year’s title winner, ‘the Young Elephant FC, who have now progressed to the Federation of Uganda Football Association (FUFA) big league. This is what motivates us to continue supporting the young people, and we hope to achieve even more by working closely with the district. He added.

Competition Awards 

The first team will receive 6 million shillings, the second team will be awarded 3 million shillings, and the team in third place will receive 1.5 million shillings.

Meanwhile, in the female categories, the first team received 3 million shillings, the second team will be given 1.5 million shillings, and the team that finishes in the third position will receive a total of 750,000 shillings.

In addition to the cash prizes for the winning team, first runner-up, and second runner-up teams, as well as the most disciplined team, additional prizes to be won include medals, sports regalia, and certificates for the best player, top scorer, best midfielder, best defender, best goalkeeper, man of the match, and woman of the match for all the matches. 

In the opening match, Stallion City FC was flattened 5 goals to nil by Lioness Queen FC, while in the men’s categories, Young Elephant Academy, who is the defending champion of the tournament, beat Eagle Soccer FC 2:1.

The goals for the young Elephant Academy FC were all scored by Gumperom Isaac, while the goal from the side of the Eagle Soccer FC was scored by Ocen Ronald. The tournament will climax on September 9, 2023.

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