PART ONE: Seaborn Star FC Targets Regional League Promotion as Founder Outlines Club's Growth and Youth Development Plans

By Osman Draga | Osmara Digital Media

PAJAMA, YUMBE DISTRICT — Seaborn Star Football Club founder and president Aluma Benard has outlined the club’s ambitions for the 2026/2027 season, including promotion to the regional league, expanding educational opportunities for young players and strengthening its role in community development.

In an interview with Osmara Digital Media shortly after elders blessed the team ahead of the new season, Benard discussed the club’s origins, its progress through the football divisions, preparations for the upcoming campaign and efforts to nurture young talents.

Founded formally on July 22, 2022, Seaborn Star FC aims to use football to identify and develop young players, support disadvantaged children through educational bursaries, discourage drug use among young people and promote community unity.

The club has progressed from the sixth division to the fourth division, also known as the provincial league, and now hopes to secure promotion to the regional league.

Below are excerpts from the interview.

CLUB FOUNDING AND PURPOSE

Osmara Digital Media: Who founded Seaborn Star FC, and why was it established?

Aluma Benard: Seaborn Star FC was founded by Aluma Benard De Seaborn, who remains the club’s registered natural owner in the FUFA registration system.

The club was established to provide exposure for disadvantaged children, promote generational talent, fight drug use among young people and help educate eligible children through bursaries.

Osmara Digital Media: When was the club established?

Aluma Benard: The club was formally established on July 22, 2022. However, the idea had existed informally for three years before its registration with the Yumbe District Football Association for participation in the sixth division in 2022.

Osmara Digital Media: What challenges did you face when establishing the club?

Aluma Benard: I continue to face, financial challenges, a lack of support and sponsors, negative perceptions from some community members, blackmail, transport difficulties and insufficient materials.

These challenges have affected our progress, but we remain committed to developing the club and supporting young people through football.

GROWTH AND ACHIEVEMENTS

Osmara Digital Media: How has the club grown since its formation?

Aluma Benard: The club has progressed from one level to another, moving from the sixth division to the fourth division, also known as the provincial league.

Osmara Digital Media: What achievements are you most proud of?

Aluma Benard: We are proud of several achievements, including our most recent promotion. We are also proud of the growing number of children we continue to support through football by securing bursary opportunities with different secondary schools.

The number of children we have helped keep away from drugs is another achievement we will always be proud of.

For us, success is not measured only by what happens on the pitch. It is also about the positive changes we bring into the lives of young people.

PREPARATIONS FOR THE 2026/2027 SEASON

Osmara Digital Media: What ambitions has the club set for the new season?

Aluma Benard: Our ambitions for this season are many. They include securing promotion to the regional league and obtaining more bursary opportunities for players, especially those sitting their Primary Leaving Examinations this year.

We want to continue developing talent while giving young people opportunities to pursue education alongside football.

Osmara Digital Media: How many new players have joined the club ahead of the new season?

Aluma Benard: We have a total of eight new players, including two players promoted from our junior team.

Osmara Digital Media: Which positions have been strengthened?

Aluma Benard: Almost all positions have been strengthened, with the exception of goalkeeping.

Osmara Digital Media: What qualities do you look for when recruiting players?

Aluma Benard: We look for talent, discipline, ambition and mental fitness when recruiting players.

Osmara Digital Media: What targets has the management set for the new season?

Aluma Benard: The management has set several targets, but our major objectives are promotion and building a team that becomes a formidable opponent for any club at any level from this season onwards.

Osmara Digital Media: How will the new players fit into the existing squad?

Aluma Benard: The new players have already fitted into the existing squad. Our system makes it easy for new players to adapt and become part of the team.

We conduct mental fitness sessions, as well as classical and virtual inductions, which help them understand the club and settle into the team.

NURTURING YOUNG TALENT

Osmara Digital Media: Does the club recruit young players from Pajama and neighbouring communities?

Aluma Benard: Yes. Our recruitment is not limited to Pajama or Yumbe District. We identify talent across the entire region and neighbouring regions. For example, this season we have a young player from Bunyoro.

Osmara Digital Media: Does Seaborn Star FC have a youth development programme?

Aluma Benard: Yes, but the programme is still seriously affected by financial challenges.

Osmara Digital Media: How does the club identify promising players?

Aluma Benard: We use scouting, and we do not scout players just once or twice. We assess them several times before a new season begins.

This allows us to identify promising talent and assess the qualities players can bring to the team.

Osmara Digital Media: How do you help players balance football with education?

Aluma Benard: We transport players who are still at school to participate in important football activities and return them to school immediately afterwards. They join the camp fully when schools break for holidays.

We want our players to continue pursuing their education while developing their football careers.

Osmara Digital Media: Does the club have plans to establish a football academy?

Aluma Benard: Yes, very much so. If we receive the necessary support, we will establish one of the best academies, if not the best, in the country.

We already have an informal junior team that helps develop players behind the scenes, although financial and other challenges continue to affect its progress.

An academy would give us a stronger foundation for identifying talent early and nurturing players into competitive footballers.

ELDERS AND COMMUNITY SUPPORT

Osmara Digital Media: Why is the involvement of elders important to the club?

Aluma Benard: As a traditional man, I believe elders are a source of wisdom. We present our players to them to receive wisdom and guidance as we prepare for the new season.

Some of these players are children of the elders. We therefore consider the elders the players’ first source of security and support.

Their involvement helps strengthen the relationship between the club, the players and the wider community.

Osmara Digital Media: What role do the elders play in the club’s development?

Aluma Benard: The elders provide us with players. They are an important part of the community from which we identify and nurture young talent.

Osmara Digital Media: What expectations do the elders have for the players?

Aluma Benard: They expect discipline and ambition from the players.

Osmara Digital Media: What message did the elders have for the players during the presentation?

Aluma Benard: The elders had messages of courage and motivation for the players.

Osmara Digital Media: How will the community support the team during the new season?

Aluma Benard: The community has always provided moral and material support to the team. I believe it will continue supporting us, even more strongly, during the new season.

Osmara Digital Media: What role can cultural and traditional leaders play in promoting football?

Aluma Benard: Cultural and traditional leaders play a pivotal role in promoting football because of their spiritual authority, social influence and deep roots in their communities.

Their endorsement can help transform football from merely a game into an important part of local heritage and community development.

Osmara Digital Media: How can the club preserve its relationship with the community?

Aluma Benard: We can preserve that relationship by actively participating in local life, supporting the community in return and maintaining open communication with its members.

We want the community to see Seaborn Star FC as its own club and a platform for developing young people.

PART TWO COMING SOON

In the second part of this interview, Aluma Benard will discuss Seaborn Star FC’s three-year vision, plans to compete at higher levels, the challenges of financing grassroots football, the search for sponsors and his personal commitment to the club’s future.

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