Uganda Premier League side Bright Stars Football Club will be celebrating a decade in the top tier next campaign.
Having finished 5th in the 2020/21 season, the Kavumba based struggled last campaign before ending up in the 11th spot. They are hoping to put those struggles behind them and finish among the top five next season.
Bright Stars have managed to stay afloat in the StarTimes Uganda Premier League for nine successive seasons despite the challenges that come with Ugandan football.
For a side that is always expected to sell its best players at the end of every season, they somehow find youngsters who fill the void left by the departures.
On top of recently announcing Asaph Mwebaze as the club’s new head coach, Bright Stars on Thursday announced a partnership with gaming company MelBet.
The partnership between the two is expected to last one season, with both organisations agreeing on an extension of another year beyond the current deal.
According to club Technical Director, Ian Mutenda, the club can only look ‘onwards and upwards’ from their struggles from last season.
“It has been a good five weeks of pre-season and general preparations for the club for the new season,” Ian told NBS Sport, adding; “There have been a lot of changes, obviously we have a new coach and now we add a partner.”
“From now on, it can only be onwards and upwards for the club. It is always a challenge to have everything in place. Having the right squad and coaches and bringing in strong strategic partners.”
“We previously added Jibu as hydration partner, and today we celebrate another partnership, and that really is a good thing and very satisfying for us and also for the future of the club,” he said.
Mutenda also echoes that the club is satisfied with the transfer activity they have done so far.
“Honestly, you want to see progress in players development and then moving on. We are a club that prides ourselves in that,” Mutenda explained.
“But still you want to keep the spine of the team to whom you can add others and make sure that you have a strong squad.”
“Once again I believe we have done the right business in terms of the players who have moved on, but we have been able to get the players we wanted and ones we feel will help improve the group,” he stated.
The Kavumba-based side is one of the StarTimes Uganda Premier League clubs that are yet to receive a full license for the upcoming season.
Mutenda says they have been granted a provisional license because they have yet to tick all the licensing boxes.
“The licensing process is a good process, and I cannot state how important it is for clubs, but when it comes to some of the deadlines, a few things truthfully are sometimes beyond the control of the clubs,” Mutenda stated.
“For example, some of the players we recruit are really young and do not have some of the documents that are required.”
“So, it is a case of making sure that we have everything in place, but still am sure that we shall beat the process of licensing, have everything in place and we cannot wait for the season to start.”
