Newly promoted Uganda Premier League outfit Mbale Heroes FC have announced that they made 17.9m through gate collection fees from their historic 1-0 home win over defending champions SC Villa yesterday.
The Surgeons are back in the top flight for the first time in seventeen years and followed up a 2-1 opening day defeat away to Express FC with a memorable gritty performance against the Jogoos to earn their first points of the season.
Former Villa player Cosia Waiswa sent a stunning free kick from the right side corner of the penalty box flying past Jeans Brady Wokorach’s near post to trigger ululation from the fans in the stands and give Mbale the distinction of being the first promoted side to get a win this season.
Hours after the final whistle,a letter issued by club chairman Andrew Wambi was circulated across the club’s social media platforms.Titled “Appreciation Message”,it thanked the fans for their support and also revealed that the gate collection for the match at had totalled 17,880,000/=.
Analysis
Mbale Heroes is arguably the best supported side in Eastern Uganda.The club’s fanbase covers the districts of Sironko,Totoro,Jinja,Bukedea and Mbale itself.
Younger readers may be unaware,but the Surgeons’ upset of the reigning champions is very much in keeping with the club’s history and tradition.Back in the 90’s and 2000’s,Mbale developed a reputation as giant killers who regularly vanquished supposedly superior opponents.
Despite being in the doldrums for well over a decade and a half,Mbale is a storied club.Formed back in 1976,the club boasts the 1999 Uganda Cup,then known as Kakungulu Cup,in its cabinet.The club also officially claims the 1976 Uganda Cup,when the team then known as Gangama United beat Coffee United on penalties.
Its return to the top flight could be a boon for local football in the region and has the potential to galvanise fans in the same way Kitara FC has in the west over the past two years and Onduparaka FC did in West Nile eight years ago.
This practice of transparency and accountability seeks to emulate the same strategy employed by Kitara’s revolutionary club President Deo Kasozi,which has transformed the Hoima based side into a formidable force in Ugandan football.
If Mbale can generate some momentum from this historic win,it could draw increasingly larger numbers of supporters,hence improving the financial state of the club.That will be the target for Mr. Wambi as it would open a pathway for Mbale to attract better players and be more competitive.
A competitive club in a region long starved of representation at the highest echelons of football in the country has the genuine potential to become something special.
After a long period of struggle which even saw the club drop down to the third tier in 2021,the start of this new chapter of this celebrated club’s history is an exciting one indeed.
