Barely three weeks after our last session in the Philippines, it was back on the road to a new country and with it, new faces eager to experience footy in Around the Worlds fashion. Uganda marks 70 countries where we’ve brought the gift of soccer and sport to young athletes. 

They call it “The Pearl of Africa” and I won’t lie, I was in for a gem of a country. I booked my flight back in 2025 and planned programs out shortly after. My only reservation, as usual, was the weather. Evidently, things can be pretty hit or miss there. We weren’t technically in the rainy season, but that doesn’t mean we were in the dry one either.

I hoped for the best and hopped on my flight in Boston with a six hour sit at the lovely Istanbul International Airport. This trip would be a bit different than most. I usually base myself in capital cities, but with Uganda’s main airport being in Entebbe instead of Kampala, I was set to experience a much different vibe on this one. Luckily, that vibe was a very good one!

The city was calm and the roads were without traffic. People walked freely on the streets, as monkeys and birds roamed the trees above. Grass and trees filled green spaces, benefitting heavily from the consistent Ugandan rainfall. It was beautiful! I felt very much at home.

A long, jet lag-induced sleep later, Friday came around and it was time to kick off the first of 4 scheduled sessions. Our partners on the day were the amazing staff of New Hope Children’s Centre.

There I was greeted ever-so-warmly by a smiley man named Mr. Godfrey, another named Isaiah, and lastly, Nicolas, who is the centre’s football coach. Mr. Godfrey was the man in charge, and I buzzed with gratitude as I thanked him for so nicely drafting up a customs letter for us on such short notice. Nicolas was tasked with touring me around the grounds while the boys prepared their football gear.

It was rainy, but the boys wanted to play. Heck, I wasn’t going to stop them!

“Forty-five boys stay here, they are orphans,” he said, giving a bit of background on the centre’s structure. “We support about 150 in total, but those remaining 105 go home to their guardians during holidays… just like this current period for elections before school starts.”

The school break threw me for a bit of a loop. I booked my flight last year and was planning to be there from Feb. 4 to Feb. 11. With school returning on Feb. 2, I figured that gave us plenty of time to work with. Unfortunately, though, elections ran long and the first day of school was pushed to Feb. 10. I scrambled to adjust plans. Luckily, Mr. Godfrey was quick to troubleshoot too.

The Friday session was followed by a Saturday morning program with the same boys living at the centre. Sure, they lived there, but man, they lived for football!

“Actually, they prefer the rain, so this is perfect football weather,” Coach Nicolas said.

With their boots in hand, we trekked down the rain-filled street to Merry Hill High School campus. Luckily for us, the school allows New Hope to use their facilities, mainly their football field, to train. We were ushered through the gate by some security guards and made our way down a steep hill to the grass field at the bottom. The lower we descended, the rain grew stronger and stronger. The boys posted up on the sideline and quickly tied their boots up.

“Okay guys!” I started, pausing for a moment to wipe the rain off my face. “Start with a two-lap jog,” I instructed, as the team’s captain took the lead with about 30 other players in tow. Two laps later, I exchanged places with their captain and led the boys through a fast warm up so we could get to playing as soon as possible.

“Okay, let’s get five people behind each of these six cones!” I yelled out next, as the boys fell into our passing lines.

A couple variations successfully knocked out, we moved over to a large circle to work on ball control before shifting from there to 1v1s at goal on both halves of the field. The rain didn’t let up for the entirety of the session and our field had turned to one giant, muddy puddle.

“Boys, let’s hit a scrimmage!” I exclaimed, turning to Nicolas with a request. “Tell me when 15 minutes have passed, Coach. I’m freezing!” I said.

Fifteen minutes later, I blew my whistle and drew the boys in so we could work our way back to the centre and dry off. They departed to their dorms as I headed back to the office, where Mr. Godfrey was patiently waiting.

“Thank you so much for the footballs,” he said to me, flashing that million-shilling smile.

That smile would only widen as he shared more about the centre and their successes over the years.

“You know what, Stephen? Last year, our boys reached the semifinals of our local school tournament,” he said, proudly. “Maybe, thanks to your instruction (and the footballs you’ve blessed us with), we’ll be able to bring home the trophy next time.”

“I believe that!” I answered.

Mr. Godfrey turned to his right. “Nicolas, give our guest a ride back home,” as the two of us hopped into a Mitsubishi 4×4 and headed towards Apolo Square, where I based myself in Entebbe.

Knowing I still had at least two more sessions at New Hope with the same set of boys, I took the car ride as an opportunity to plan out future training.

“Nicolas, what do the boys need to work on the most?” I asked.

“Their touch, and then some physical fitness drills because their energy is not so good,” he answered.

“How about ball control? Possession?” I added, as he nodded in return.

Still though, I wanted to offer my compliments to his work as a coach. “Actually, Coach, their technique is quite good,” I said. “Sure, certain drills needed some time, but by the end, they really had the hang of it!” 

“Honestly, bro, we appreciate the footballs, but what we really value most is the time you spent with our boys,” said Nicolas, as we pulled up to my house’s familiar green gate.

“Thank you for welcoming me, Coach, I’ll see you and the boys again tomorrow. Hopefully with some sun!”

Tired, hungry, and soaked from top to bottom, I could only hope that might be the case.