Helen Buteme is becoming a hot property in the circles of Ugandan sport.
Some eight months after joining Express Football Club, she has been called in too to help the senior men’s cricket team with strength and conditioning (S & C).
She takes on the role on a part-time basis after she was spotted by Cricket Cranes coach Laurence Mahatlane.
Buteme, who holds a Conditioning Coach B license from Germany’s Leipzig University, has already improved Express’ physical stature in the Uganda Premier League.
The Betway-sponsored club has been a benchmark for the UPL this season, collecting 28 points from their first 13 outings.
Ironically, Express finished last season with the same point tally from 24 games in 12th place.
Now, Mahatlane wants Buteme to bring the same wave of change as the Cricket Cranes prepare for a Tour of Namibia next month.
“Laurence thought that I would be able to add something to the Cricket Cranes. He wants them to be fitter, basically better conditioned, stronger, faster,” Buteme said shortly after her first session with the team early this week in Lugogo.
“So he reached out to me and today, I was kind of, assessing the players to see how far they are, like how much work I have to do. So we had a pretty good session.”
The Cricket Cranes’ trip to Namibia is to prepare them for the ICC World Cricket Challenge League B in September away in Jersey, a pathway to the 2023 ICC ODI World Cup.
“Some of the stuff was new to the guys and we just went through stuff slowly,” she said.
“I think they enjoyed it but they have to be careful to balance this because they have a competition in three weeks. I am not going to load their bodies too much.
But how tough is it for Buteme to balance her role across the board? “It’s an interesting challenge, I do not know anything about cricket,” she says.
“At the end of the day, conditioning is conditioning. It’s about getting players in the best shape to deliver on the pitch.”
BUTEME AT A GLANCE
Full Name: Helen Koyokoyo Buteme
Date of birth: May 27, 1980
Profession: Research scientist
Qualifications (sports): World Rugby Level 2 coach, World Rugby Coach Educator, Conditioning Coach B license from Leipzig University
Qualifications (academic): Bsc in Biochemistry, MSc in Molecular Biology
Sports played: hockey and rugby
Current Position: Strength and Conditioning coach at Express FC
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This writer is a global broadcaster and as well scribe with Daily Monitor Newspaper and sports presenter with Radio One FM 90 in Kampala. Follow him on Twitter: @AllanDarren and his Facebook Page: Darren Allan Kyeyune