Striker Juliet Nalukenge joins professional ranks

Sharp shooter Juliet Nalukenge has completed a move to Cypriot First Division outfit Apollon Ladies Football Club, Kawowo Sports can reliably confirm.

Nalukenge who has been plying her trade with Kawempe Muslim Ladies FC in the FUFA Women Super League signed a two-year deal.

The player who turns 18 today is set to fly out of the country soon (possibly Sunday) to start a new venture in Cyprus.

This will be the first professional stint for Nalukenge who has had a meteoric rise in her playing career in the last two years.

Born and raised in Mityana district, Nalukenge perfected her craft at powerhouse Kawempe Muslim where she won several titles both for club and school.

Her realistic breakthrough came in 2019 when she captained the Uganda U17 National Team to triumph both at the COSAFA and CECAFA Championships.

She was named the best female footballer in the country at the prestigious FUFA Awards(2019).

She took the COSAFA Championship held in Mauritius by storm, scoring 18 goals in five games including the winner against South Africa in the final.

In the qualifiers for the FIFA-U17 World Cup that were later cancelled due to the outbreak of COVID-19, Nalukenge had scored 5 goals in six games.

Her fine form attracted attention globally and early this year, she was ranked the 9th in Goal.com NXGN top 10 wonderkids in Women’s football.

Apollon Ladies FC is the most successful Women’s Football Club in Cyprus, having won 10 Cypriot First Division titles, 10 Cypriot Cups and 7 Cypriot Super Cups.

The Club also plays in the UEFA Women’s Champions League and are already pitted against Dinamo-GBU FK from Belarus in the preliminary round for this season.

Nalukenge joins the growing list of Ugandan female footballers who are seeking for greener pastures in Europe in recent times.

These include Sandra Nabweteme who is at Fimleikafélag Hafnarfjarðar (FH Women Football Club) in Iceland on loan from Thor/Ka Akureyri, goalkeeper Vanessa Edith Karungi (Boldklubben af 1893 in Denmark), Viola Nambi and Ritah Kivumbi who are in Sweden at Vaxjo FF and Mallbackens IF respectively.