The Friday Night Lights (FNL) Season IX culminates this Friday, January 04, 2024 at the Lugogo Hockey Grounds; after a pause to accommodate the festive season.
The last time around on December 22, 2023 Crysto Panda and BigTril were the star attractions on Team Iman and Team Afande respectively; with fans treated to some of their hits as they showcased their basketball skills on court.
The FNL Team has promised more celebrity appearances for the fans as it brings the curtains down on what has been “a short but sweet Season IX.”
Qi Sports Management, the event production group and its partners at ATS have also pledged more glitz including grand audio visuals (AV) displays and pyrotechnics.
On the court proper, all eight (8) participating squads will suit up for the closing Pool games; with the final following immediately after – starring the table toppers from each Pool.
The eight (8) participating squads are Team Melo (captained by Saidi “Carmelo” Amisi), Team Afande (led by Henry Okoth), Team Comfort (captained by Leticia Comfort Awor), Team Drileba (led by Tony Drileba) and Team Ekon (under Brenda Ekone). Others are Ritah Imanishiwe’s Team Iman, Godfrey Soro’s Team Soro and Team Wazee largely comprised of middle-aged ex-players.
In the 1st Leg on December 8, Team Melo beat Team Soro and Team Ekon saw off Team Drileba in Pool A. In Pool B, Team Iman overcame Team Wazee while Team Afande beat Team Comfort.
Melo and Iman picked up their second wins in the 2nd Leg over Drileba and Afande respectively while Ekon beat Soro as Comfort subjected Wazee to its second loss.
FNL, which is Uganda’s premiere sports-meets-showbiz offers a unique blend of basketball, music, food and beverages and all forms of entertainment. It is why the organizers always encourage the players to employ a relaxed mind-set on court while being more interactive with the fans.
Castle Lite beer the headline sponsor under its new Unlock, Refresh and Enjoy tagline will be heavily discounted as has been the case before, according to Ibrahim Nkwanga, Nile Breweries Limited’s (NBL) Trade Marketing Representative.
A Castle Lite bucket containing five (5) bottles is going for as low as UGX 15,000 while a single bottle costs only UGX 3,500.
NRG, the leading youth-centric radio in Uganda and FNL’s vibes partner will again have DJ Beats and host Sheila Salta hyping the crowd in addition to other surprise acts.
“We are all about the energy at NRG Radio; so the fans should anticipate an epic exhibition. Let’s usher in the New Year with a bang,” Alex Dangote, NRG’s Head of Marketing said.
Mountain Dew, the other FNL partner, will be giving out a free bottle of Mountain Dew to the first 100 fans to buy a ticket at the entrance besides keeping all the players hydrated on the courtside.
“Mountain Dew is excited to partner with FNL for the first time. We encourage fans to participate in the half-time challenges as we have lots of cool prizes to give away to the winners,” said Grace Namutebi, Brand Manager, Crown Beverages.
Having run uninterrupted since inception in 2011, FNL took a Covid19-prompted break from 2020, only returning on December 8, 2023. Involving only three Fridays, FNL Season IX has been shorter than the others before so as to accommodate the altered National Basketball League (NBL) calendar. The organizers have promised an extended Season X later in 2024.
Tickets: UGX 10,000 at the gate & on FlexiPa