Fountain Gate embrace Chuga music stars to bolster its Arusha fan base

ARUSHA: FOUNTAIN Gate FC have brought some of Arusha’s best-known music personalities into their plans for the 2026/27 season as the club steps up efforts to build a strong local following in its first full campaign based in the city.

Rayvanny, Fido Vato, G-Nako and Lord Eyes are among the artists appearing alongside Fountain Gate players in the new-season content prepared with the club’s main sponsor PigaBet, introducing the team through names and a culture already familiar to the Chuga family.

Fountain Gate moved its base from Manyara to Arusha earlier this year and made Sheikh Amri Abeid Stadium its home ground, beginning a new chapter for a club that has grown through its academy system into Mainland Premier League football.

Club president Japhet Makau said the move placed Fountain Gate in a city with a strong football history and a population that understands the game.

“Arusha has a football history of its own. People here remember Ndovu, AICC and Palson. When we came here, we knew we were coming to a city that understands football. Now we have to earn our place with the supporters,” Makau said.

“We want  Arusha kids to grow up saying, ‘Fountain Gate is our team.’ That cannot happen simply because we have moved our home matches here. We have to stay close to the people and give them a team they are proud to support.”

The club is also entering a city with a culture that has always stood out in Tanzania.

Wanachuga have their own way of speaking, dressing, walking and enjoying themselves. The city has developed its own street language, fashion, music and entertainment culture, with hip-hop playing a major part in putting Arusha on the national entertainment map.

Nako 2 Nako Soldiers emerged from Arusha in the late 1990s and became one of the groups that helped establish the city as a major centre of Tanzanian hip-hop. G-Nako and Lord Eyes are among the artists whose names remain strongly associated with that history.

Fido Vato represents another direct Chuga connection, while Rayvanny, already a PigaBet ambassador, previously collaborated with Fido on Chuga Hio, a song celebrating Arusha and its people.

PigaBet Marketing Manager Arthur Kazola said bringing those personalities around Fountain Gate was intended to help the club connect with the city beyond match day.

“Arusha has its own way of doing things. You hear it in the way people speak, you see it in the way they dress and carry themselves, and you hear it in their music,” Kazola said.

“We do not want people to know about Fountain Gate only when there is a match at Sheikh Amri Abeid. If this is now the club’s home, then the club has to get closer to Wanachuga and become familiar with the places and through the things that people here already identify with.”

That has seen Fountain Gate players placed alongside Arusha musicians and local personalities as PigaBet looks to use music and entertainment to introduce the club more widely across the city.

Kazola said the choice of artists was closely linked to Arusha itself.

“G-Nako, Lord Eyes and Fido do not need an introduction in Arusha. Rayvanny also already has a connection with Fido and with Chuga through music. When you bring those people together with Fountain Gate, you are introducing the club through people Wanachuga already know,” he said.

PigaBet signed a four-year sponsorship agreement worth more than Sh1 billion with Fountain Gate in April, with the partnership covering support for the club’s operations, player motivation and efforts to grow its supporter base.

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The push to build a stronger following also comes at an important time for football in Arusha.

The city will be one of Tanzania’s host centres for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, which the country will stage jointly with Kenya and Uganda. A new stadium is being completed in Arusha as preparations for the continental tournament gather pace.

For Fountain Gate, the coming season therefore provides an early opportunity to establish itself firmly in the city before AFCON brings even greater football attention to the region.

Makau said the club ultimately wants supporters to come to Sheikh Amri Abeid because of their attachment to Fountain Gate itself.

“We want people to come to Sheikh Amri Abeid because Fountain Gate is their team, not only because Simba, Yanga or Azam are coming to town,” he said.

“If we can play good football, stay close to Wanachuga and respect the culture we have found here, then slowly Fountain Gate will become part of Arusha.”

With AFCON 2027 approaching, Fountain Gate’s first full season in Arusha will also test how far the club can build a genuine following beyond match days at Sheikh Amri Abeid Stadium.