Gilbert Mazige first walked through the gates of Ebenezer Soccer Academy in 2017. He was just a kid with oversized gloves and a quiet determination to keep the ball out of the net. Ten years later, that same boy is still here; only now he’s taller, sharper, and about to pull on a senior jersey.
For the past two seasons the coaches have watched him closely. Every training session, every academy match, he kept improving. His handling got cleaner, his decision-making sharper, and his presence in the box more commanding. At Light High School Seguku, where he is currently in S.3, he has somehow managed to balance the books with the boots. The progress did not go unnoticed.
Along the way he earned a place in the Uganda U17 national team, the Cubs, who made history by becoming the country’s first side to play at a FIFA World Cup. At the 2025 tournament in Qatar, Mazige started in goal for Uganda’s opening match against Canada. He put in a solid shift, making five saves in a hard-fought 2-1 defeat that still marked a proud moment for Ugandan football.
This week the decision came: Gilbert Mazige has been promoted to the NEC FC senior team. From academy prospect to first-team goalkeeper, the path he has walked since 2017 has finally led him through the senior dressing-room door.
It’s the kind of story that reminds everyone why academies exist. Hard work over years, quiet growth, and one day the call-up arrives. For Mazige, that day is today.
Congratulations lad.