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Mugerwa also said that with the amount of activity at Lugogo that includes hosting National Basketball League games among others, gave off an indication of netball not being ‘a priority.
The National Council of Sports (NCS) has refuted claims made by She Cranes coach Fred Mugerwa that they were denied access to the Lugogo Indoor Stadium for training.
During an interview with NBS Sport, Mugerwa said that while he appreciated the gesture to be allowed to train from Lugogo, the facility was not optimized for their training regimes.
Mugerwa also said that with the amount of activity at Lugogo that includes hosting National Basketball League games among others, gave off an indication of netball not being ‘a priority.
In a statement, the NCS clarified that the She Cranes' allegations are untrue and expressed its commitment to supporting the team in their preparations for the upcoming Netball World Cup in Cape Town, South Africa.
“Our attention has been drawn to comments attributed to the coach of the She Cranes, that they had been denied access to the Lugogo Indoor Stadium for training; we would like to clarify that this is not true,” NCS clarified.
The She Cranes, who have been training rigorously ahead of the prestigious tournament scheduled from July 28th to August 6th, had claimed that they were denied access to the Lugogo Indoor Stadium, hindering their training sessions.
However, the NCS clarified that the government has been supportive of the She Cranes' endeavours, allocating funds to the Uganda Netball Federation for their training activities.
"In this quarter alone, the Government of Uganda, through NCS, has released UGX 968m to the Uganda Netball Federation to facilitate its activities, including non-residential and residential training for the World Cup-bound team," stated the NCS.
"We want to make it clear that UGX15.6m was specifically allocated for the hiring of a court for their training."
Furthermore, the NCS emphasized that the Lugogo Indoor Stadium has always been available for national teams of various sports disciplines, free of charge, as long as prior booking is made.
The Netball Federation was provided with the stadium schedule, and they initially utilized the facility for several training sessions.
However, they later expressed their dissatisfaction with the available days and time slots, opting to relocate their training to Nakirebe and informing the NCS of their decision in writing.
The She Cranes are camped at Nyosar Hotel in Lubowa, where everyday they take a 35-kilometre journey to the facility in Nakirebe that takes close to an hour’s drive.
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