It began like any good Sunday in Kampala—warm, dusty, and humming with anticipation. By midday, the RAWG Arena in Kyebando Central was already teeming with laughter, movement, and the occasional chant as players laced up boots and organizers arranged final touches on what would be the second weekend of the 2025 Gazaland UOX League.
This wasn’t just football. This was something more.
By 1:00 PM, the matches had kicked off—twenty-six teams from every corner of the Ugandan X (formerly Twitter) community were back on the pitch, continuing what has quickly become one of the most electric grassroots sports movements in the country. The turnout had grown, swelling to over 300 people—an impressive 100 more than the league’s opening weekend. And they weren’t just there to watch. They were there to feel it. To be it.
Then, sometime around 4:00 PM, the sky shifted.
The clouds rolled in fast and heavy, low like a warning. And then it came—the rain. Sudden. Sharp. And for a moment, it seemed as though the day might dissolve. Footballs were scooped off sodden turf, scoreboards paused mid-update, and cheers gave way to a chorus of zippers and hurried footsteps.
But where some saw interruption, others found something else.
UOX League Under One Roof, One Banner
As the rain began to pour, everyone—players, fans, children, and uncles in folding chairs—gathered beneath one makeshift shelter. It was cramped. Muddy shoes knocked against each other, and the air turned humid with breath and the scent of wet jerseys and fresh earth. And yet, there was laughter. Loud, honest, and warm.
“It’s funny how rain brings people together,” said Keith Namu, one of the league’s organizers and an ever-present voice in the UOX football community. “We were all scattered before it fell. But under that shelter? We became one family.”
The break from matches turned into something quietly magical. With the pitch unplayable, many turned to board games laid out in corners—Omweso boards clicked with strategy, Ludo pieces danced across plastic squares, and the sharp rhythm of Matatu cards slapped down on benches. Conversations started that wouldn’t have in the middle of a match. People from rival teams exchanged jokes. Old friends reconnected. New friendships were formed.
There’s a word Ugandans often use that captures moments like this: kyeyo. It’s about hustle, yes, but also about resilience, ingenuity, and making the most out of the unexpected. On this rainy Sunday, kyeyo wasn’t just a concept—it was the atmosphere.
A League Growing with Every Drop
The Gazaland UOX League, which emerged from the digital banter and creativity of Uganda’s X platform, has quickly become a living symbol of community and cultural expression. With team names that sound like tweets—Error 13 FC, Follow Back FC, Violence Command Centre FC—the league is a love letter to online Ugandan identity. But on the ground, what’s being built is far more human: a tapestry of stories, shared glances, and muddy boots.
This second weekend of “pillage trainings” solidified the league’s growing place in Kampala’s cultural heartbeat. The turnout, the energy, the play—everything is bigger, richer, and more connected. And with each weekend, more teams are registering. More fans are turning up. More memories are being made.
Looking Ahead, Holding On
The final day of the league hasn’t yet been announced. But if these early weeks are any indication, it won’t just be a championship—it will be a culmination. A celebration. A reunion of friends brought together not just by football, but by a shared language, both spoken and digital.
As the sun dipped low and the last puddles evaporated from the pitch, play resumed. Shoes still wet. Jerseys clinging. Spirits soaring.
Sometimes, it takes a little rain to remind us what we’re really made of.
