Sports
Ascent to Glory: FUFA’s Margherita Trophy Embodies Uganda’s Craft
In a poetic blend of sport, symbolism and national pride, the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA), a few weeks ago unveiled the new Uganda Premier League (UPL) trophy. It is an awe-inspiring silver masterpiece named, Margherita, after Uganda’s highest mountain peak.
But this is no ordinary piece of silverware. It is a sculpted story, one that stretches beyond the field, and deep into Uganda’s mountainous spine, echoing the dreams of clubs that wage war for football supremacy.
Standing at a height of 511 millimetres, the trophy’s dimensions are not incidental; they directly reflect the 5.11 kilometre elevation of Margherita Peak, the snow-capped summit of the Rwenzori Mountains and the ceiling of the Ugandan landscape. It is a powerful metaphor for the climb teams to endure, season after season, towards excellence.
The UPL has grown into more than a football contest. It is a national rhythm, a vessel of dreams for millions, and a canvas for raw grassroots talent. The new trophy reflects that transformation, both in intent and in form.
Designed with deliberate artistry, its elongated football shape symbolizes elevation and aspiration. Its crescent arch across the top captures the youthful resilience and cyclical beginnings of each new season. The trophy tells a story of struggle, strategy and triumph.
While Uganda’s top-tier football has often drawn from its urban centers, Kampala’s Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) FC (Football Club), Sports Club (SC) Villa’s blue blood legacy, or the military fortitude of Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) and Uganda Peoples Defense Forces (UPDF) FC, it is now a truly national pursuit, touching every corner of the country.
The FUFA Big League has become a fertile ground for rural teams like Kitara FC and BUL FC, whose recent campaigns shook the establishment and re-defined the contours of competition. The Margherita Trophy, in its upright posture and precise engineering, captures that dynamism: that in Ugandan football, no dream is too high, and no club is too small to rise.
The trophy’s silver finish gleams with dignity, prestige born from ambition. On its upper tier, the engraved words FUFA and Uganda Premier League, crown the piece with institutional authority. On the semi-spherical base, dimples evoke the feel of a classic football, bridging the past and the present. From the hexagonal panels to the vertical stretch lines, etched into the trunk, every detail evokes the enduring architecture of the game itself.
Symbolism flows through its structure. The vertical stretch signifies the climb, the relentless, tactical and emotional ascent each team must endure over 30 games. The crescent, pulled like a bow across the peak, captures the waxing promise of every new campaign. This is not just silverware for a champion it is a beacon promising achievement.
FUFA’s commitment to enhancing the game’s prestige has grown clearer in recent years. With broadcasting rights expanded, sponsorship from key brands like Star Times sustained, and stadium renovations underway, most notably the upgrades to Lugogo and Namboole stadia, Ugandan football is on a rise as steep as its geography. The trophy’s unveiling arrives as an emblem of this transformation.
More than a celebration of victory, Margherita is a call to climb to the peak.
The past seasons have given Ugandans thrilling football theatre: SC Villa’s dramatic title chase in 2024, Vipers’ consistency and the passionate resurgence of Express FC. These stories, rich in tension and glory, now have a symbolic summit. The team that lifts Margherita does not merely win; it conquers.
Crafted with precision, history and hope, this trophy dares each club to rise to it, not just in points or possession statistics, but in the resilience, discipline, and vision that define Ugandan football.
As FUFA President, Mr. Moses Magogo stated during the unveiling, “This trophy tells our story. It celebrates the beautiful, tough and triumphant spirit of Ugandan football. It is a promise to every child who kicks a ball on a dusty pitch that the peak is reachable.”
Indeed, from the valleys of Mbale to the plains of Arua, from the hills of Fort Portal to the city buzz of Mengo, Margherita now gleams in the dreams of every footballer, coach and fan. It is more than silver. It is Uganda – beautiful, bold and rising!
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