Coach McKinstry named Head Coach of Uganda 'Cranes' National Team

OFFICIAL PRESS STATEMENT: Coach McKinstry appointed to lead the Uganda National Football Team until 2022 (30 Sep 2019).

jmck ugandacranes presslaunch screengrab 1 300919Coach McKinstry at the FUFA press launch in Kampala, Uganda.

 

Coach McKinstry has been unveiled as the new Head Coach of the Uganda National Football team - the Uganda 'Cranes'.

Currently ranked 80 in the FIFA World Rankings, Coach McKinstry is taking on one of the top international positions in Africa. With this appointment he becomes the first person from Northern Ireland to be Head Coach / Manager of three different international men's football teams.

A team on the rise, in recent years the Cranes have secured qualification for AFCON (2017, 2019) and reached the first knock-out round (2019) - having not qualified for AFCON for the previous 40 years.

Appointed on a 3 year contract to maintain this progress and make Uganda a more competitive force at future tournaments, his task will also include developing and embedding a winning culture that can drive Uganda forward towards future tournament and World Cup qualification.

Commenting on the appointment Coach McKinstry said:

"I am honoured to be asked by FUFA to become Head Coach of the Uganda Cranes, and excited to work with an excellent group of players. Together we will work to raise the level of performances and secure results.

My objective will be to take the best of what is already there and combine it with both new talent and new working practices to improve performance. With effort and application we can maximise both individual and team potential in the months and years ahead."

Asked to comment on the CHAN and AFCON matches that will take place of the next few weeks, Coach McKinstry responded:

"Time is limited, so players and staff will we need to be proactive and work to our best to ensure we are prepared for the immediate challenges. It is vital that we get to work straight away. While substantial improvement will take time to bed in, we will first focus on preparing for the second leg of the CHAN qualifier with Burundi which is less than 3 weeks away, and then the opening game of AFCON qualification away to Burkina Faso in 6 weeks."

 

Pictures of Coach McKinstry for use in social media can be >>downloaded here<<

 

Coach McKinstry works with players in training (Bangladesh, 2018)Coach McKinstry works with players in training (Bangladesh, 2018)


 

XTS 20190227 155016 SheikhJamal SaifSporting BPL 1770Coach McKinstry pitch side in Bangladesh, 2019.


 

  

Notes to Editors

Key Points

  • Coach McKinstry is a UEFA Pro Licensed Football Coach. 
  • Coach McKinstry has been appointed on a 3 year contract to lead the Uganda 'Cranes' national football team, until 2022.
  • His contract covers CHAN 2020, AFCON 2021 and World Cup 2022.

Experience

Other Points of Interest

  • With this appointment, he becomes the first person from Northern Ireland to manage three international men's football teams. From Northern Ireland, the following have managed two international sides - Billy Bingham: NI & Greece; Billy Cook: Peru & Iraq. The same point is also true across the island of Ireland as a whole, where the list who have managed two international sides extends to include Joe Kinnear: India & Nepal; Brian Kerr: ROI & Faroe Islands.
  • Coach McKinstry is a member of 'Common Goal'. Together members seek to support high-impact organisations that harness the power of football to advance the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. See https://www.common-goal.org/About
  • The United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals: In 2015, world leaders agreed to 17 goals for a better world by 2030. These goals have the power to end poverty, fight inequality and stop climate change. Guided by the goals, governments, businesses, civil society and the general public can work together to build a better future for everyone. See https://www.globalgoals.org/ 

More News

Visit www.johnnymckinstry.com/ugandacranes 

Media / Enquiries

Contact  with requests.  

Photo Gallery / Download 

See www.johnnymckinstry.com/gallery for a selection of images.

(Photography by: www.xtratimesports.net)

More News

Visit www.johnnymckinstry.com, or follow on social media:

Twitter: @johnnymckinstry

Instagram: @coachmckinstry

LinkedIn: uk.linkedin.com/in/johnnymckinstry

Facebook: www.facebook.com/coachmckinstry 

Read More

You can read more about Coach McKinstry's:

About Coach McKinstry

Coach McKinstry is a UEFA Pro Licensed Football Coach, with a number of successes across his 20+ year career to date.    He is currently Head Coach of the Gambia National Team and Head Coach of Gor Mahia FC in Kenya (2022-24) where he won two Kenya Premier League titles (2023-24, 2022-23), and the 2023-24 Kenya Charity Shield, returning the club to the top of Kenyan football.

As Head Coach of the Uganda National Team, (2019 - 2021) he led Uganda to win CECAFA 2019 and delivered a win from 2 in every 3 games, going undefeated in 8 in evey 10 games.  This represented the highest 'win' and 'undefeated' rate achieved by a Uganda National Team Coach in over 15 years.

He was Head Coach of the Rwanda National Football Team (2015-16). Within 17 months he led Rwanda to a number of highs - including their first ever appearance in the knockout stages of a major international tournament (Quarter-finals of CHAN, Jan 2016) and finished runner-up in CECAFA (Dec 2105), being named 'Coach of the Tournament' for his efforts. 

Across 2013-14, he was Head Coach of the Sierra Leone National Men's Football team. Within just over a year, he had led Sierra Leone to their highest ever FIFA World and African rankings - 7th in Africa and 50th in the World (August 2014). 

He has also been Head Coach of Saif Sporting Club, Bangladesh Premier League (2018-19); and FK Kauno Zalgiris, Lithuanian A-Lyga (2017-18).   

Coach McKinstry is a European (UEFA), American (NSCAA) and university qualified football coach and a member of Common Goal.

Slideshow: Uganda Highlights

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