Uganda Premier League (UPL) Champions Vipers SC have begun plans to extend the VIP section of their St. Mary’s stadium in preparation towards next seasons’ CAF Champions League.
This project is being done ahead of their involvement in the CAF Champions League after they were crowned winners of the season which ended prematurely as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
“An artificial turf was installed replacing a natural grass pitch, magnificent technical areas, a state-of-the-art gym are some of the various developments done since the official opening [in 2017,” the club’s statement said.
St’ Mary’s was given approval to open in March 2020 after the facility was visited by CAF and FIFA representatives who inspected the stadium.
“However, despite such achievement, the stadium authorities are not sitting on their laurels instead new developments are being introduced to enhance its features further,” Vipers added.
“In readiness for next season where Vipers are set to represent Uganda in the Caf Champions League, the VIP section expansion has taken place during the lockdown.
“The new expansion, adding a further 600 seats to bring the section’s capacity up to 1,225, will officially be opened to the public at the crowning of Vipers as the 2019/20 League Champions.
“Many football facilities have developed in Uganda and Africa at large but the greatest challenge among all is the sustainability with international required standards especially in moments when such facilities are not utilized.
“The management has future plans of further developments in phases as will be revealed from time to time in a bid to keep up with the standards as required by international football bodies.”
Stadium manager Edwin Mulindo insists that the developments will ngo beyond the VIP section.
“We have installed more seats in the VIP area to accommodate more fans seated comfortably while enjoying football next season,” Mulindwa said.
“Further to that, we are also refurbishing all areas that may have been damaged during the regular season as well as equipping the stadium with other equipment to ease operations as we look forward to football next season.”
