A League for Every Girl: Expanding Play and Opportunity Across Uganda

On soccer pitches all across Uganda, a movement is taking shape. The Uganda Girls Leagues (UGL) are here—a first-of-its-kind, nationwide initiative bringing free, structured, and safe soccer opportunities to girls who have been sidelined for far too long.

With the support of the Swedish Postcode Lottery Foundation, what started as the Kampala Girls League has now grown into a country-wide effort, ensuring that more girls have access to fun and supportive soccer programming in an environment that fosters confidence, friendship, and personal growth. In just its first season, held in the fall of 2024, the UGL reached 838 girls across five regions, totaling 13,391 hours of league time over 16 match days!

“The UGL is empowering the next generation of female players, referees and young leaders (team captains). We’re not just teaming up together to get girls playing games, we’re working together to change the game!” - Fahaby Kitimbo, Uganda Girls League Manager

Built by SWB, Led by Communities

At its core, the UGL is about opportunity—giving girls a place to play, belong, and develop their skills on and off the field. With structured league play running during school holidays, the program provides consistency for girls who often face barriers to staying in school, remaining physically active, connecting into their community, or accessing safe spaces.

One key aspect of the UGL’s success is its intentional leadership structure. By intentionally recruiting, training, and placing women coaches and managers in leadership positions, the league ensures that girls have role models they can relate to and feel comfortable seeking support when they need it.

“Having a female manager for the league was great for the girls; they appreciate that women have many roles to play in sports and that they too can do it. It was easy for the girls to ask for pads because a woman was in charge. We appreciate that girls have issues they need to address to female adults, and the league gave them that opportunity.” – UGL Coach from Busia

The UGL is made possible through the collaboration of five incredible community partners, each playing a critical role in expanding access to girls’ soccer across the country. The five hubs that make up the UGL (as of March 2025) include:

Palorinya Refugee Settlement; Community Psychosocial Support Organization
Jinja; X-SUBA Sport4Development
Nakivale Refugee Settlement; Raise Chess Academy (RCA)
Busia; Youth Environment Service (YES)
Kampala; Soccer Without Borders Uganda (lead implementing partner)

Together, these organizations ensure that girls—regardless of background, experience level, or location—have the opportunity to step onto the field.

Training the Next Generation of Leaders

The impact of the UGL isn’t just about playing opportunities. It’s also about empowering young leaders to take ownership of the game.

In January, SWB Uganda hosted a five-day Youth Referee Training in Kampala, bringing together 35 young leaders from the five UGL hubs. Over the course of the training, participants developed a deeper understanding of football laws, challenged old habits, and built the confidence needed to step into leadership roles on and off the pitch.

Now, these newly certified referees are ready to officiate UGL matches, ensuring fair, inclusive, and high-quality play. Beyond the games themselves, they are also gaining skills that will serve them in their communities and future careers.

What’s Next?

Looking ahead, SWB Uganda and its partners are committed to growing the league’s reach, strengthening community engagement through cultural exchanges, refining the league schedule and structure, and continuing to provide meaningful opportunities for girls across Uganda.

By transforming football into a platform for leadership, connection, and self-expression, the UGL is proving that the game belongs to everyone.

Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to build a future where every girl has a place on the field.