Football Team - Uganda 2008

In June 2008 16 men from Northern Ireland travelled to Uganda as part of the Abaana Football4africa team. The team consisted of both amateur league players and social footballers who were out to make a big difference in peoples lives through the beautiful game.

In total the team played 7 games in two weeks, narrowly loosing to a professional team containing 3 Ugandan under 23 internationals and one full international as well as notching up a hard earned victory against professional outfit Kakajjo FC.

Away from playing, the team worked with street kids on the streets of Kampala and on the Abaana re-homing project, where kids in desperate situations on the streets are taken in and given the opportunity of a lifetime, inclusive of a safe living environment and educational development. In addition to this, the team sponsored two football tournaments one of which they played in, and won, in front of an appreciative crowd of well over 2000 people. The second of which involved various Abaana schools pitting their wits against each other in an extremely enjoyable day where each school received a new kit and various prizes.

All in all the team had life changing experience, getting to emulate their heroes by pulling on the Northern Ireland jersey and changing lives and bringing smiles in the process. The work however continues and this team was only a small part of the much greater work that Football4Africa and parent Bangor based charity Abaana are doing in Uganda.