Ugandan Youths to Play in Little League World Series

The Little League team from Lugazi, Uganda will become the first African team ever to play in the Little League World Series. (AP Photo) 

Children from Africa don't often get to come to the United States of America, especially not to play baseball. That will change Friday when a team from Lugazi, Uganda will play their first round game against Panama in the Little League World Series held in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The road to this grand honor has been long and difficult, but so rewarding in the end. The two coaches of the Lugazi, Uganda team were happy to tell the amazing history of baseball in Uganda, which they both were a crucial part of from the beginning.

Henry Odong is one of the pioneer players in Uganda. As a teenager, he was taught the game by Christians missionaries, who he was very close with. Odong, nicknamed the Bouncer because of his size, is always eager to show people his tattered photo album of Ugandan baseball history and wants to thank everyone involved in making his dream a reality. The other coach is Richard Stanley, who is a 69-year-old chemical engineer. Known as the game's primary benefactor in Uganda, he built a baseball complex and village near Mpigi, a town west of the capital city of Kampala. Stanley also fully funded the travel expenses to send the nation's delegated team to Kutno, Poland to play in the Mideast and Africa Regional tournament. He had done this each of the past three years, costing him about $30,000 per trip.

The Ugandans first had to endure some heartache in their journey to America. In 2010, the boys from the Kampala ghetto of Nsambya thought they had earned a spot in the championship game, only to find out they missed out based on a complex tiebreaker. Last year, the same team knocked off the perennial favorites from Daharan, Saudi Arabia in the title game to earn what appeared to be Africa's first spot in the Little League World Series. However, they were denied visas from the State Department based on several inaccurate birth certificates that were possibly forged. Organizers were concerned that several of the children were older than 13 years old, which is the maximum age allowed to play in the tournament. Therefore, the team was sadly disqualified from the competition.

The disqualification turned out to be a blessing in disguise. News quickly spread through the media about the disqualification of the Ugandan team. People from around the world sent money and supplies to support the growth of baseball in Uganda. More than $130,000 and piles of bats, balls, gloves, shoes, and helmets poured into the country. In January, a group of Major League Baseball stars traveled to Uganda to support the cause of building baseball in the country.

Now, the boys from Lugazi, Uganda have arrived in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. It doesn't matter that their last real game was a month ago, they only have 11 players, and they have never played in front of a crowd before. You see because regardless of how they play, they have already won by making it this far. They've become the first Little League from Africa ever to play in the Little League World Series. That is inspiring not only to the people of Uganda, but to many African children around the continent. With hard work, people who care about you, and the grace of God, the impossible soon becomes possible. Who knows, maybe we aren't too many years away from our first African player in Major League Baseball.