This past week, a team of 7 players from Quadball Uganda loaded their hoops onto their bus and set out to bring our wonderful sport to no fewer than 4 new communities!
The journey started in Adjumani, 570 kms (!) from their hometown of Masaka.
Leading the expedition was John Ssentamu, who shared his excitement about this collaboration with SportsUganda Ltd and the IQA:
“Enthusiasm, excitement and determination were exhibited. All communities we reached out to spoke of how much we need to do to quench the Quadball thirst as a new sport. Everywhere we went people promised to continue with Quadball. My heartfelt appreciation goes to Sports Uganda that funded the whole trip and equipment that was donated to each community. Quadball is expanding and it’s here to stay.”
After Adjumani, the team travelled to Kiryandongo, Lugazi, and Entebbe. Including the trip home, they travelled more than 1300 kilometres to share their love for our sport.
Wycliffe, a player of BEC Cmty QC, said: “When I started playing Quadball, I didn’t even hope to move to different areas to help Quadball expand. Meeting students and players from diverse backgrounds and sharing our passion for Quadball was an unforgettable experience. It opened my eyes. Traveling to introduce Quadball in new areas was like a whirlwind adventure for me because this helped me to reach the Northern part of Uganda. I didn’t see myself traveling to different areas, but with Quadball this happened. I enjoyed the travel and I thank those people that made this happen. Thank you so much.”
The players were welcomed with enthusiasm by the different schools they visited, and students ages 3-17 were eager to try their hand at this brand new sport. With over 900 attendees across the tour, the team made a huge impact.
The event was a great success, and was met with the approval of the IQA Expansion Manager Negra Flores:
“I am very proud of the path Quadball Uganda is following, and grateful to SportsUganda for their support. It is through such partnerships that our sport truly expands. Being an inclusive and refreshing option, we are confident that more organizations around the world will want to bring quadball to more locations within their countries. Quadball Uganda stands out for its resilience and genuine intention to introduce our sport to children. They are aware that it is with children that quadball will have excellent opportunities to endure over time.”
We hope this momentum helps propel the sport to new heights in Uganda, and we hope to see many new players on the international stage soon.