The on-going re-greening process at the Entebbe Works stadium continues to progress on a positive note.
Months after the leveling and grading procedure at the facility situated right in the heart of Lake Victoria Peninsular town of Entebbe was complete, the phase of planting grass was undertaken.
The recent rains have acted to precipitate the grass growth and only a few patches remain to be filled with grass to ensure an all green playing turf.
The Entebbe Works Stadium shall be the official home venue for recently promoted Masavu Football Club.
According to the club operations manager, Edward Jjingo, the playing surface will be further pressed to make sure that is a leveled ground.
These rains have been so purposeful.
The grass has spread and grown well. Now we, shall plant more grass in the patches and also press to ensure a leveled playing surface.
After the turf issues, the club intends to renovate the dressing room structures, erect a perimeter fencing and stadium outside fence to avoid trespassers.
In October 2016, the Entebbe Works stadium was graded, leveled and fenced after a proposal by the Entebbe Municipality Division ‘A’ authorities was passed.
Entebbe Division ‘A’ Chairman Michael Mutebi and his council had passed a Shs19M budget for the leveling, grading, re-greening and dressing rooms renovation.
We budgeted Ug.shs 19M for the whole project of leveling, grading, re-greening and renovation of the dressing rooms with a well maintained toilet facility.
So far, the work is progressing well and we expect it completed by May 2017.
According to the main contractor, Brian Kabunga, there is a barbed wire that was put around the stadium to avoid trespassers as the grass grows.
Kabunga has been assisted by Twaha Muzimbati, who is the immediate supervisor of the project.
Muzimbati acknowledges the work has progressed well;
We planted grass and we expect to weed and add on more grass in the coming weeks. We shall add manure and other fertilizers as we continue to monitor the progress.
Location of Entebbe Works Stadium:
The Entebbe Works Stadium is located in Entebbe town.
It is sandwiched between the famous Entebbe Market, entertainment hub Club X-5, a secondary school – Entebbe Parents, Entebbe Baptist Church, Shell Entebbe and the Kampala – Entebbe Highway, the facility overlooks the St Mark’s Anglican Church, along the Kampala – Entebbe High way.
History of the Stadium:
The stadium is believed to have been founded in the late 1970’s.
It was previously used by Entebbe Works Football Club when the team was still playing the Uganda top flight tier, Uganda Premier League.
The local community including schools (primary and secondary) have been using the facility for various sporting disciplines ranging from football, volleyball, netball to athletics.
The current developments are being undertaken by Entebbe Municipal Council to restore the facility’s old days when the main team of the area played top flight football.
Back then, the playing surface was green, with a perimeter fencing that separated players from fans and an external iron sheet fence.
Now, the fences are long gone, it was barren before the new grass, goal posts had been scavenged by the scrap boys and the stadium itself had turned into a parking lot for heavy duty vehicles, a grazing ground for wild cows, goats and sheep, a parking yard for Club X-5 and a path way for Entebbe Parents students and other people.
Entebbe Municipality boasts of a number of playing fields as Entebbe Works playground (Municipal owned), Police playground, Bugonga Fisheries Stadium (owned by Fisheries training institute), Entebbe S.S playground in Manyago (owned by the school), Lake Victoria playground in Bugonga (owned by the school), Katabi Gombolola playground (owned by National Forestry Authority) as well as those grounds owned by the Council as Nakiwogo Banga, Kiwafu, Kigungu and the lake side Katabi Busambaga playground, which has been since donated to Entebbe Mongers rugby team.
Like, the land bonanza is elsewhere in the country, land meant for sports development in Entebbe is at a risk because of the escalating population and increased socio-economic activities.
Development of the Works Stadium will eclipse by before the start of the 2017/18 Uganda Premier League season.