The Friday Night Lights season 9 came to a conclusion on 5th January, Team Imani with a last second shot, right on the buzzer to emerge the victors, what a way to culminate the season.

Having started on a low with problems from delay of lights, poor lighting, games starting late and many more on the opening night, the organisers restructured and made adjustments, making it very big and blowing the fans away on the last 2 nights.

The games attracted multiple dignitaries from the government, entertainment industry and other sectors.

The Finale saw the presence of National Council of Sports (NCS) Chairperson Ambrose Tashobya and General Secretary Dr. Patrick Ogwel. Uganda Boxing Federation President Moses Muhangi was also in attendance enjoying the games. Veteran Musician Jose Chameleon graced the event with his presence, and despite to performing, he was seen cheering on the players as the games happened. Omuliro and Billboard Kipande hit singer Nina Roz was also among the attendees and she took part in the Free throw Challenge against Bakuwe kyonywa hit maker, Nutty Neithan.

Apart from the celebration who were in attendance, a couple participated in the games. Big Tril and Crysto Panda graced the stage on the second night, representing team Afande and Team Imani respectively. On top of the action on the floor, the two stars each also gave an acappella of their hit songs and they went head to head in a free throw Challenge.

At the grand finale, Veteran Mic maestro Mr Mosh mashed the crowd up with a performance of his collabo with Ngoni “Digi” as team Comfort took the center stage.

Nutty Neithan and Nina Roz also gave the crowd something to cheer on as they gave brief performances of their hit songs.

Where does the NBL come in?

Following the success of the Friday Night Lights, one has to question why the National Basketball League Finals haven’t had as much investment and attendance by different dignitaries yet it’s always considered the epitome the Year’s Basketball clashes.

During the 2022 Finals between Namuwongo Blazers and City Oilers, also the UCU Lady Canons and JKL Lady Dolphins, many fans were in present and it is said that FUBA made lots of money from that series.

The downside though, in 2023 when we thought it’d be bigger and better, the fans turned up, not as many as from the previous season, but the numbers were great and the biggest thing missing was the big sponsors and a captivating atmosphere and experience.

An argument could arise that FNL fronts fans and showbiz and thus they can do different things to attract fans and sponsors whereas NBL is a very competitive event with a lot at stake for the teams.

The Federation of Uganda Basketball Associations (FUBA) has a task to find ways to make the NBL, particularly the finals, a fan based event where fans are forced to come for the experience and in turn, they can attract sponsors who will also be getting value where they are investing.

It is no secret that the FNL, had far less numbers (attendance) compared to the Finals of the NBL, but in terms of investment and return on investment, the FNL organizers are said to have gotten big profits and the sponsors invested heavily.

In an interview with Assad the PR of QI sports (organizers season 9), he revealed that the sponsors (Castle Lite and Mountain Dew) were impressed with the organization and how the event turned out. They suggested, to stay on board for the 10th edition which is promising to be even better.

If a mere Basketball event which is not even as competitive, has the capability of attracting huge sponsorship deals that could span for years, can’t a National league pull it off, even if it’s just the finals.

A lot needs to be done, the management has to find out what the fans want on top of the basketball so that they can give them the ultimate experience which is memorable and in turn make them capture them to keep coming and coming, on top of supporting the game.