Uganda Gazelles Wins over Ireland in Friendlies during Training Camp in Germany

The Uganda Senior Women’s national basketball team, the Gazelles, embarked on a historic high-performance training camp in Frankfurt, Germany from 15th to 25th July 2024, at the invitation of FC Nottingen.

Founded in 1957, FC Nottingen runs a basketball franchise named the Rutronik Stars Keltern that competes in the Women’s Basketball Bundesliga, the premier club league in Germany.

The camp, organised by the Federation of Uganda Basketball Associations (FUBA) and fully financed by betPawa, was aimed at preparing the national team ahead of the 2025 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket qualifiers set for February 2025. betPawa is the Gazelles’ main sponsor.

“Our aim was to use the 10 days to work hard and set up some defensive and offensive rules which we are going to play hopefully in February for the official qualification,” said Head Coach Goran Lojo.

The Gazelles played and won their first two games against the Republic of Ireland with 82-69 in the first game and 71-56 in the second, leaving their coach very impressed by the team’s performance.

Lojo thanked betPawa and FUBA for their role in creating the much-needed exposure for the Gazelles to develop their techniques since they previously only played against African teams.

“I want to thank you all for the opportunity and promise that I will give my best so that our team will be recognisable by the fight from the first till the last minute,” he added.

betPawa pledged substantial support to Uganda’s national basketball teams, the Silverbacks (Senior Men) and the Gazelles (Senior Women), in a partnership deal with FUBA on 20th March, 2024.

The partnership entails aspects such as team training, travel, accommodation, medical insurance and supplements among other things the teams need to sustain progress.

Following the impressive performance of the Gazelles in the friendly matches at the training camp, the team comprising 12 players and three coaches who made the squad list for both games, were paid UGX 150,000 each, totalling UGX 4,500,000 (USD 1,216) paid out as Locker Room Bonus initiative.

The Locker Room Bonus is a flagship project where players from teams and competitions sponsored by betPawa across multiple sports are paid a winning bonus, provided they make the match day squad list. The money is paid directly to their mobile money wallets immediately after winning a match to celebrate winners and further reward great performances.