Over the weekend, Steve McManaman, a legend from Liverpool FC, paid a two-day courtesy visit to Uganda as part of a collaboration with Standard Chartered Bank for the Standard Chartered Bank futsal tournament. He arrived in the country on Saturday and during his stay, he had the pleasure of meeting a group of Liverpool fans in Kampala who greeted him warmly and later on graced the futsal tournament . The following day, he made a visit to the Joe Kigozi soccer academy.
While at the academy’s training session held at Panamera play grounds in Naguru, McManaman acknowledged Uganda’s wealth of talent and expressed his hope that these young talents would one day make it to the top football leagues worldwide. He extended his gratitude to Joe Kigozi for his remarkable work in establishing the academy.
The kids at the academy were later given the chance to obtain autographs from the Liverpool legend and capture memorable photos with him.
During his speech, Joe Kigozi who is also the General Manager NBS Sport recognised that despite his own talent, he never had the opportunity to realise his dream of becoming a professional football player due to a lack of professional guidance. This motivated him to initiate the academy, aiming to help numerous talented youths achieve their sports dreams. He revealed that the idea of starting the academy had been in the making for 15 years, with the primary goal of seeing his own football aspirations fulfilled through others. In 2019, he finally established the Joe Kigozi Academy.
The Joe Kigozi Academy is a professional soccer academy established by Joe Kigozi, who serves as the General Manager of NBS Sport. Its purpose, initiated in 2019, is to nurture young football talent. The academy’s mission aligns with SDG Goal #3: Ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for people of all ages.
