The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Arua, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Arua-based FUFA Big League side Onduparaka FC has turned to music concerts to address mounting financial challenges threatening the club’s operations and competitive future. Since being relegated from the Uganda Premier League at the end of the 2022/23 season, Onduparaka has struggled to generate the revenue needed to sustain basic club activities, pay player allowances, cover travel costs, and remain competitive in the FUFA Big League.
Godfrey Akuma, the mastermind behind the initiative, said the idea emerged from the club’s pressing financial crisis. He acknowledged that while the musical shows may not yet provide a fully sustainable solution, the first gospel concert held at AbaBet Green Light Stadium on Sunday, February 15, 2026, will help the club maintain operations.
According to Akuma, in addition to the quarterly charity musical shows, the committee also plans to leverage merchandise sales as a strategy to sustain operations. The club intends to sell T-shirts, bangles, and other branded items to give fans tangible ways to support the team.
Lawrence Alionzi, the Mayor-elect of Arua City, challenged residents and football lovers to take collective ownership of the club, which has nurtured talented players from across the West Nile region. “Our collective support for Onduparaka FC shows what we can achieve when we come together for a common goal. Let’s keep this momentum,” he said.
The club’s financial struggles became evident on February 8, 2026, when Onduparaka travelled to Kabale with only 11 players to face Kabale City in the Round of 64 of the Stanbic Uganda Cup at Kabale Municipal Stadium. Nicknamed “The Caterpillars,” Onduparaka is one of the most iconic football clubs to emerge from the West Nile region. Founded in October 2011, the club began as a youth-focused community initiative aimed at engaging young people through sport.
Playing home matches at AbaBet Green Light Stadium in Arua City, the club rose rapidly through Uganda’s football ranks, earning promotion to the Uganda Premier League in 2016. Their debut top-flight season captured national attention as they became one of the league’s most formidable home sides.Between 2016 and 2018, Onduparaka established itself as a strong force in Ugandan football, finishing as high as fourth in the league, reaching the Uganda Cup final, and producing elite talent such as Muhammad Shaban, who went on to represent Uganda at the Africa Cup of Nations. After 15 matches in the FUFA Big League this season, Onduparaka sits 12th on the table with 17 points, having recorded five wins, two draws, and eight defeats.
****
URN
