In a outstanding testomony to the facility of grassroots sports activities improvement, Wasswa Aslam Balikanda, a 17-year-old pupil from Amus Faculty Faculty in Bukedea, has been chosen to officiate on the CAF Africa Colleges Soccer Championship, set to kick off on April 23 in Accra, Ghana.
Hailing from Bugembe in Jinja District, Wasswa’s rise is a shining instance of what structured mentorship and alternative can produce. His journey to continental recognition started in 2022 when he joined the Uganda Secondary Colleges Sports activities Affiliation (USSSA) Capability Constructing Coaching Program, a platform designed to groom younger expertise not simply in taking part in, however in officiating and sports activities management.
Since then, Wasswa has persistently demonstrated poise, self-discipline, and a deep understanding of the sport. His whistle has guided a number of the nation’s best college soccer phases together with the 2024 Boys’ Nationwide Championships in Masaka, the FEASSA Video games and the Nationwide Ball Video games in Soroti. Earlier this 12 months, he took one other leap when he officiated on the CAF Colleges CECAFA Zone qualifiers, placing him firmly on the radar of continental soccer officers.
Wasswa’s appointment to the Ghana match is greater than a private milestone, it’s a major nod to the success of the USSSA Capability Constructing Program which continues to nurture future referees, coaches, and sports activities directors from inside Uganda’s college system.
He isn’t the primary from his college to succeed in this degree. Jabeth Elly Ojilong, additionally from Amus Faculty, officiated on the 2024 version of the CAF Africa Colleges Championship in Tanzania. Uganda’s trailblazing determine within the competitors, nevertheless, stays Jackie Nambasa of Uganda Martyrs, who made historical past because the nation’s first official on the inaugural match.
Wasswa’s inclusion within the Ghana-bound officiating group affirms the rising fame of Uganda’s college sports activities ecosystem and highlights the transformative function of structured improvement applications. From native pitches in Jinja to continental soccer in Accra, his journey is a narrative of imaginative and prescient, mentorship, and perseverance, a real fruit of the seeds sown by USSSA.
