{{More citations needed|date=October 2022}} {{Short description|Association football club in Uganda}} {{Infobox football club | clubname = UPDF FC | image = UPDF_FC_logo.png | fullname = UPDF Football Club | nickname = ''The Lion Army '' | founded = {{start date and age|1968}} | ground = Bombo military stadium<br>Lugazi, Uganda | capacity = 15,000 | chairman = | manager = Moses Basena | league = Ugandan Premier League | season = 2024/25 | position = 10th| | pattern_la1 = _whiteborder | pattern_b1 = _whitecollar | pattern_ra1 = _whiteborder | leftarm1 = 008000 | body1 = 008000 | rightarm1 = 008000 | shorts1 = 008000 | socks1 = 008000 }}
'''Uganda Peoples’ Defence Force Football Club''' (commonly known as '''UPDF FC''') is a Ugandan professional football club based in Bombo, Luweero District. The club currently plays in the Uganda Premier League, the country’s top division.
UPDF FC has played in many leagues since 1980 but as Simba FC.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Strack-Zimmermann |first=Benjamin |title=Simba FC Lugazi (1969) |url=https://www.national-football-teams.com/club/4360/1969_2/Simba_Fc_Lugazi.html |access-date=2024-11-01 |website=www.national-football-teams.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-07-21 |title=Battle for the finest across three generations |url=https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/sports/soccer/battle-for-the-finest-across-three-generations-1892426 |access-date=2024-11-01 |website=Monitor |language=en}}</ref>
== History == The club traces its roots to the famous Simba FC, the original army team founded in 1968, which won the Uganda Super League twice (1971 and 1978) and reached the 1972 African Cup of Champions Clubs final.<ref>{{cite web |date=11 July 2017 |title=Simba FC: Uganda’s army side of the 1970s |url=https://kawowo.com/2017/07/11/the-saints-change-identity-to-updf-football-club/ |access-date=20 August 2025 |website=Kawowo Sports}}</ref>
In 2016, the army acquired "The Saints FC", a club playing in the Uganda Premier League, and rebranded it as UPDF FC in 2017 following FUFA approval.<ref>{{cite web |date=11 July 2017 |title=The Saints change identity to UPDF Football Club |url=https://kawowo.com/2017/07/11/the-saints-change-identity-to-updf-football-club/ |access-date=20 August 2025 |website=Kawowo Sports}}</ref>
==Crest== <gallery class="center"> File:Simba FC (logo).png|Old logo </gallery>
== Ownership and management == The club is owned and operated by the Uganda People’s Defence Force. Management and funding are overseen by the army, while the day-to-day football operations are handled by a professional technical team. As of 2024, the head coach is Moses Basena, a former coach of the Uganda national football team.<ref>{{cite web |date=15 September 2023 |title=Basena takes charge of UPDF |url=https://swiftsportsug.com/2023/09/15/basena-confirmed-as-updf-coach/ |access-date=20 August 2025 |website=Swift Sports Uganda}}</ref> == Performance == UPDF FC has been a mid-table team in recent seasons. In the 2020–21 Uganda Premier League, they finished 8th in their comeback season. In 2023–24, the club finished 12th out of 16 teams, narrowly avoiding relegation.<ref>{{cite web |title=UPDF FC season standings |url=https://globalsportsarchive.com/team/soccer/updf-fc/16916/ |access-date=20 August 2025 |website=Global Sports Archive}}</ref>
=== Season-by-season record === {| class="wikitable" !Season !Division !Position !Notes |- |2019–20 |Uganda Premier League |15th |Relegated |- |2020–21 |Uganda Premier League |8th |Returned after promotion |- |2021–22 |Uganda Premier League |11th | |- |2022–23 |Uganda Premier League |13th | |- |2023–24 |Uganda Premier League |12th | |- |2024-25 |Uganda Premier League |10th |} ==Honours== ===Continental=== *'''African Cup of Champions Clubs''' **Runners-up (1): 1972
===Domestic=== *'''Ugandan Premier League''' **Champions (2): 1971, 1978 *'''Ugandan Cup''' **Winners (2): 1977, 2011
==Performance in CAF competitions== * '''African Cup of Champions Clubs: 4 appearances''' ::1972: ''Finalist'' ::1973: Second Round ::1974: First Round ::1979: First Round
*'''CAF Cup Winners' Cup: 2 appearances''' ::1978 – First Round ::1999 – Second Round
==Current squad== Confirmed squad for the 2024–25 season. {{football squad start}} <!-- Goalkeepers --> {{football squad player|no=1|nat=UGA|pos=GK|name=Yusuf Waswa}} {{football squad player|no=2|nat=UGA|pos=GK|name=Anyama Joseph}} {{football squad player|no=3|nat=UGA|pos=GK|name=Sulaiman Kibalama}} <!-- Defenders --> {{football squad player|no=4|nat=UGA|pos=DF|name=Derrick Jim Ssekulima}} {{football squad player|no=5|nat=UGA|pos=DF|name=Denis Ssekitoleko}} {{football squad player|no=6|nat=UGA|pos=DF|name=Musa Mulindwa}} {{football squad player|no=7|nat=UGA|pos=DF|name=Bashir Kabuye}} {{football squad player|no=8|nat=UGA|pos=DF|name=Aggrey Kiirya}} {{football squad player|no=9|nat=UGA|pos=DF|name=Christopher Kamagu}} {{football squad player|no=10|nat=UGA|pos=DF|name=Oscar Agaba}} {{football squad player|no=11|nat=UGA|pos=DF|name=Ezekiel Katende}} {{football squad player|no=12|nat=UGA|pos=DF|name=Abbas Luuty Nsubuga}} {{football squad player|no=13|nat=UGA|pos=DF|name=Henry Tenywa}} <!-- Midfielders --> {{football squad player|no=14|nat=UGA|pos=MF|name=Edward Kawooya}} {{football squad player|no=15|nat=UGA|pos=MF|name=Ronald Kayondo}} {{football squad player|no=16|nat=UGA|pos=MF|name=Christopher Tebandeke}} {{football squad player|no=17|nat=UGA|pos=MF|name=Rashid Faridi}} {{football squad player|no=18|nat=UGA|pos=MF|name=Hussein Zzinda}} {{football squad player|no=19|nat=UGA|pos=MF|name=Shakibu Mayanja}} {{football squad player|no=20|nat=UGA|pos=MF|name=Enrique Lubwama}} {{football squad player|no=21|nat=UGA|pos=MF|name=Asaph Ssegujja}} {{football squad player|no=22|nat=UGA|pos=MF|name=Swaibu Kasujja Kalule}} <!-- Forwards --> {{football squad player|no=23|nat=UGA|pos=FW|name=Brian Kalumba}} {{football squad player|no=24|nat=UGA|pos=FW|name=Frank Mugisa}} {{football squad player|no=25|nat=UGA|pos=FW|name=Joseph Janjali}} {{football squad player|no=26|nat=UGA|pos=FW|name=Samson Kigozi}} {{football squad player|no=27|nat=UGA|pos=FW|name=Samuel Ssekamatte}} {{football squad player|no=28|nat=UGA|pos=FW|name=Emmanuel Ochen}} {{football squad player|no=29|nat=UGA|pos=FW|name=Daniel Kitara}} {{football squad player|no=30|nat=UGA|pos=FW|name=Sulaiman Kibalama}} {{football squad end}} == See also == * Uganda Premier League * Uganda People’s Defence Force ==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140228054323/http://www.weltfussballarchiv.com/club-profile/uganda/simba-fc/16916/ Team profile] – ''The Biggest Football Archive of the World'' (archived 28 February 2014)
{{Ugandan Premier League}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simba Fc}} Category:Football clubs in Uganda Category:Association football clubs established in 1968 Category:1968 establishments in Uganda Category:Buikwe District
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