Onduparaka Football Club is a Ugandan football club currently playing in the FUFA Big League. They play home games at Greenlight Stadium in Onduparaka, a suburb of Arua. The club's name means 'sorghum stem' in the Lugbara language while motto is: "The struggle continues".
History
Amateur era Onduparaka FC was formed in late October 2011 by Joe Erema and Benjamin Nyakuni, who had graduated from Makerere University Business School. Originally, the club was intended to benefit students and young people and enable them to play in inter-village competitions. The team was strictly amateur and created so that the youth would be kept on the path of moral uprightness through a healthy passion for competitive games. After only one year of participation, the team renamed themselves Onduparaka Football Club and got promoted from the Ugandan Big League to the Azam Uganda Premier League (AUPL) at the end of the 2015/2016 season.
2015–16 season Onduparaka appointed former South Sudan national team coach Leo Adraa as their first Uganda Premier League head coach to replace Allan Kabonge whose contract expired after promoting the club to the top flight league and reaching the Uganda Cup Final. He later became the Technical Director. In August 2016, Charles Livingstone Mbabazi was named Head Coach and Adraa became the Assistant Coach while Moses "Ugoboss" Oloya became Goalkeeping Coach.
In 2016, Onduparaka FC lost in the 42nd Uganda Cup Final by 3–1 to Vipers SC, their first appearance in the final.
2016–17 season During 2017, their first season in the top flight, Onduparaka FC was the only UPL team unbeaten at home.
One of the club's targets in its maiden top-flight season was to avoid relegation. By the end of the first round of matches, Onduparaka had climbed to the top four. The last time an upcountry team won the league was in 1999 by Dairy Heroes from Mbale
They started the season with a goalless draw against Soana, then lost to Bright Stars before drawing again on 6 September 2016, this time with Express FC. The fourth game was against defending champions KCCA who had won all their first three games. Ondu needed a quick second half brace by Muhammad Shaban to inflict the first season loss to the 11-time champions on 9 September 2016 at Greenlight Stadium.
Despite a late onslaught, the visitors only managed a consolation goal; that was Onduparaka's first Uganda Premier League win. On 1 October 2016, SC Villa scored first, then the newcomers from Arua crawled back scoring three through Caesar Okhuti, Wahab Ajuman Gadafi and Muhammad Shaban.
The visitors fought back from 3–1 down until they equalised via a penalty netted by Tabu Vitalis but Shaban scored his second of the game. The match took place at Greenlight Stadium. A week before, Ondu beat Police FC 2–1 on the same ground (with goals by Shaban and Kabon). Three days prior to Ondu ending Villa's unbeaten run, FUFA cleared 26-year-old Caesar Okhuti to play for the Northwesterners who sat at 5th on the table; he was on loan from KCCA. On 10 December 2016, Ondu beat Sadolin FC 1–0 at Bugembe Stadium to climb to 3rd place around half season courtesy of a Gaddafi free-kick.
Ondu's leading goalscorer Muhammad Shaban (aka [I]jagason) was voted the 2016 FUFA MVP (Most Valuable Player) in a year when Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper Denis Onyango also performed well and actually won the CAF Best Player in Africa Award and Farouk Miya scored the goal against Comoros that took Uganda to the tournament. In 2017, the three travelled to Gabon for AFCON. Also on Onduparaka's squad is KCCA loanee Caesar Okhuti.
Other players on the 2017 Onduparaka team included: Richard Anyama (goalkeeper formerly at Saints FC), Nisar Kasim (another Goalkeeper), Alex Gasper Adriko (aka The Rock), Norman Saddam, Rashid Toha, Gibson Adinho, Akram Kakembo, Ivan Mbowa, Ibrahim Faizul (aka Anini), Sabir Simba, Dickens Okwir, Mohammad Rashid, Ajobe Toto, Denis Andama, Rashid Agau, Living Kabon, Wahab Ajuman Gaddafi Gadinho and Fahd Muhammad Toko.
On 17 February 2017, Azam TV broadcast a live game from Onduparaka's Greenlight Stadium for the first time. Kabon Living (also known as Messi), scored the only goal of the game from a Shaban assist in the 88th minute to give Ondu a win over Kirinya Jinja SS. Kabon took off his shirt, somersaulted in the goal celebration and got a yellow card for indecency but his goal leapfrogged Ondu to 3rd place next to SC Villa and KCCA.
They dropped points with humiliating away defeats to KCCA (7–0 at the Phillip Omondi Stadium in Lugogo - Record Biggest Loss in Uganda Premier League) and SC Villa (4–1 at Masaka Recreation Ground) but bounced back. Starting the day in sixth place on 1 April 2017 with a chance to climb to 4th with a win at Kakindu Stadium in Jinja after Vipers SC had already lost to a different Jinja side, Gaddafi scored one of the Contenders for Goal of the Season against Jinja Municipal Council who salvaged a 1–1 draw. On 5 April 2017, Muhammad Shaban's first half goal was enough to beat nine-man Lweza at Greenlight Stadium and end a three match winless streak. In their first international friendly of the season, Onduparaka beat Gor Mahia 2–0 at Mandela National Stadium Nambole on 4 February 2017.
Kizza Besigye, the four time Runner-up in the Ugandan Presidential Elections, watched the game clad in a green jersey and offered Onduparaka FC 2 million Uganda shillings. Then on 21 February 2017, Onduparaka came from a goal down to beat Mbarara FC and advance to the Uganda Cup Round of 16. Airtel - FUFA MVP Shaban missed a penalty but Okhuti scored the winner in a 2–1 triumph at Kakyeka Stadium in Mbarara. On 26 March 2017, goals from Okhuti again and a returning Rashid Agau helped Ondu knock out Big League team Water FC and qualify for the quarterfinals.
On 9 April 2017, Sadolin Paints FC knocked Onduparaka out of the Uganda Cup by 2–1 in Jinja. Nevertheless, Onduparaka's Greenlight Stadium was chosen to host the 43rd Uganda Cup Final (KCCA defeated Paidha Black Angels 2–0 in June 2017). In a UPL fixture twelve days later, the Painters left Onduparaka with a point after a 0–0 draw. According to Coach Livingstone Mbabazi, his side created the most chances in the league during the 2017 season. He added that his "players don't fear big teams" because they know that they are big too though recovering from a 2–1 loss to Soana where substitute Shaban scored the consolation on 29 April 2017.
Ondu was one of the only two teams in the AUPL still unbeaten at home going into the Game Week 27 Fixture against Express FC on 5 May 2017. Livingstone's first game as Onduparaka Coach was at Wankulukuku and ended 1–1.
The return leg almost seemed to be heading in that direction with Express taking the lead through Didier Jean within the first halfhour after assistant captain Rashid Toha (towering defender nicknamed Per Mertesacker) slipped and Express capitalised. Ondu badly needed an equaliser after all their wasted chances; Muhammad Shaban hit the woodwork and missed other chances. Kickoff was in sunny weather but even the winds could not discourage the many high balls. Then just before halftime, Dickens Okwir was fouled in the penalty box by the Express captain.
Toha scored the equaliser in the 41st minute.
Shaban played well but missed a good opportunity for the winner close to extratime. Four minutes were added and Rashid Toha scored the winner in the 3rd additional minute to send the stadium into a glorious frenzy. As the celebrations waned, Agau - the substitute for Caesar Okhuti was substituted with Caesar Olega, a fairytale of two Caesars crossing the line before and after the winner. A few seconds later, the final whistle was blown.
Coach Leo Adraa said that Ondu had more time to prepare unlike the Oldest Club in Ugandan football who were thumped four goals by Lweza in their previous game. Kampala musician Kalifah Aganaga was present donning a green Onduparaka jersey. Arua musician and producer King Weedah was also at the game. This win propelled the Caterpillars from 6th to 5th Position out of 16 above Express who remained with 40 points with three games left to the end of the season.
Four points behind 3rd-placed Vipers, the Caterpillars needed a win to reduce the gap to within one point. They were beaten 4–1 at the St. Mary's Kitende Stadium in Kajjansi on 9 May 2017. The game was marred with violence. That same day, KCCA were crowned Champions for the second consecutive year. In the last home game of the season, Muhammad Shaban scored in the 16th minute but Saints FC equalised just before halftime.
The army side needed only one point, that is a draw to be safe from relegation and leave the battle for survival to Lweza and Police; JMC Hippos had already been relegated. Caesar Okuti replaced Dickens Okwir in the second half while Denis Andama (aka Koko Makosa) later replaced Gasper. Saints goalie Alex Mugabi hit himself on the goalpost while trying to save a goal attempt and seriously needed medical attention; he was stretchered off and replaced by Harrison Sempajji who made a number of saves from rejuvenated Onduparaka attacks.
Mohammad Rashid was replaced with Rashid Agau, the darling of Ondu fans and minutes later, Kabon Living was fouled in the penalty box. Captain Rashid Toha stepped up to convert the spotkick. Close to the end of normal time, Richard Anyama in the Ondu goal who had been transferred from Saints in January (along with Ivan Mbowa) conceded the second equaliser from a freekick. It seemed like the visitors were safe but after the four additional minutes were over, Kabon also known as Messi scored and relegated the Saints. Armymen cocked their guns while disgruntled visiting fans and officials pursued the referee plus his linesmen.
After the chaos subsided minutes later, the game resumed until the 100th minute but Ondu still maintained their Unbeaten Record at home in their maiden top flight season. The last team to defeat them at Greenlight Stadium was Nebbi Central three years behind. In the final game of the season at Kakindu Stadium in Jinja, Dickens Okwir put Ondu ahead in the 28th minute while BUL FC had a goal disallowed immediately after. However, after some pressure, the hosts equalised in the 57th minute. This season finale in which Ibrahim Faizul was redcarded ended 1–1.
Onduparaka ended their first Azam Uganda Premier League season in 5th place on 45 points. Despite a negative goal difference, Ondu managed 11 wins, 12 draws and 7 losses in 30 games. At the Uganda Premier League Awards on 27 July 2017, Muhammad Shaban was included in the Azam UPL Team of the Year. During that season, each player in the list received 250,000 UgX. Meanwhile, Ondu fans were voted the Best Fans in the same gala at Kampala's Imperial Royale.
2017–18 season Shaban and Rashid Toha were sponsored for trials in South Africa but returned in the middle of July 2017. During pre-season with some new players, Onduparaka won 1–0 in their first friendly before beating Nyowa Young Elephants 4–1 with goals from Caesar Okhuti, Dickens Okwi and newcomer Karim Ndugwa who netted a brace. Then they visited Masindi (1–1, Ndugwa again) and Hoima. In the rain on Eid Adha Day (1 September 2017), Ondu beat JKS 3–0 with goals from Agau, Gadinho and Shaban who was returning from injury. Three days later, Betway announced a 600 Million Shilling sponsorship package for Onduparaka's transport and player welfare.Betway Renew Onduparaka Partnership With Shs 600 Million Deal 7 September, they would face Jinja Kirinya SS in a friendly.