There are still many limitations for girls in sports as many parents have the belief that sports is for boys. And as a result, girls’ participation in sport is much less than boys’, and focus of the professional sports competitions is men’s sports, with very few opportunities for girls.
For many girls in Uganda, it is very challenging to hold the dream to be professional players or just to keep the opportunities to play football for their health and getting the connection through sports.
It’s up on that background that Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in partnership with FUFA, Terra Renaissance, and WE League has organized a girl’s football tournament aimed at promoting gender equality and empowerment for women and girls.
The tournament dubbed ”Women in Sports: Peaceful Co-existence” is part of the eighth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 8).
The 2022 TICAD Cup will be played at FUFA Technical Center in Njeru with six teams competing, headlined by Pagirinya Young Ladies Sports Club, a team from Pagirinya Refugee Camp in Adjumani District. The team had training sessions with Uganda Premier League side Soltilo Bright Stars in May this year.
On top of promoting gender equality and empowering women and girls, the three-day event to be played 19th to 21st August also intends to foster mutual understanding between refugees and the host community, and raise awareness of the refugee situation in Uganda, TICAD 8, and African development.
The other participating teams include; Jinja Senior Secondary School, Kawempe Muslim Secondary School, King of Kings – Fort Portal, Rines Secondary School – Wakiso, and Tagy High School – Entebbe.
TICAD Cup 2022 Fixtures
