The long awaited National baseball Park whose construction started a year ago, is yet to reach its completion as drawn in the architectural plan designed from Tokyo.
According to Nsereko Male, the spokesperson Uganda Baseball and Softball Association (UBASA), the ballpark under construction on a three acre plot of land in Gayaza, Wakiso requires final touches that include hostels and a club house.
“If well completed, this field will be the best in Africa compared to the fields in South Africa and others in the United States,” he told local media.”To get complete, we need more funding to enlarge it, the hostels are not there, and even a club house,”he further revealed.
Dating back to the commencement of this national baseball park construction, the Japanese Embassy in Uganda initially promised funding and pledged support for the idea in the month of September 2012.
Later in December the same year, a grant worth 330 million Uganda shillings was fulfilled, signed by His Excellency Kazuo Minagawa, the ambassador of Japan to Uganda then, and handed over to the Uganda Baseball and Softball Association.
As planned, construction began last year but the ballpark developments are still pending completion since more resources are need.
History of Baseball In Uganda
Uganda Baseball and Softball Association was formed in the late 90’s.
It was first headed by Sheila Agonzibwe, assisted by General Secretary Barnabas Mwesigye who worked tirelessly to see the sport grow in many parts of the country.
Between 1989 and 1998 the sport experienced slow growth because of limited supply of equipment, inadequate physical facilities and financial constraints.
In 1998, Uganda took part in the East African edition of qualifiers for the 1999 All Africa games in South Africa.
The national U-15 team traveled to South Africa in 2000 in the Africa Junior Championship where they got silver.
In 2001, the national softball team won bronze medal in Abuja All Africa games, Nigeria.
2004 saw Uganda host the Africa Cup of Nations where the hosts finished third.
