Diplomats boost grassroots Football with Ambassadors Cup
Manila's diplomats are coming together to develop youth Football, specifically through the game's indoor variant, Futsal.
The Ambassadors Cup was launched on Friday in a press conference and ceremonial kick-off at the University of the Asia and Pacific. The tournament will take place on May 10, 2014 in the university's soon-to-be opened indoor sporting venue and will feature 13-and-under and 11-and-under teams from several disadvantaged communities in Metro Manila.
The event is a continuation of an initiative began last year when the ambassadors of Argentina, Brazil, and Chile put up an informal Football tournament on the streets of Caloocan City. Since then they have roped in other Embassies to create this tournament.
Now aside from the original three nations, the embassies of South Africa, Republic of Korea, Timor Leste, the United Kingdom, The United States, Mexico, Nigeria, Indonesia, and Canada have committed to help out.
The concept is that each embassy or nation will be paired up with a community, and the kids will wear the national team jerseys of their sponsoring nation when they play in the tournament in May.
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So far the participating communities are Birhen ng Lujan Parish in Caloocan, San Ildefionso Parish in Makati, ICC Soup Kitchen in Pasig, Barangay Marikina Heights, Western Bicutan Football Club, and the Gawad Kalinga communities in Concepcion in Mandaluyong, Barangka in Mandaluyong, Pinagsama in Taguig, and Tatalon in Quezon City.
(Full disclosure: the author is the founder and coordinator of Western Bicutan FC.)
More embassies and communities may be added in the future. By next week the embassies will be paired with the communities, according to Paulus Reyes of Team Socceroo.
The Philippine Football Federation, UA&P, the Henry V. Moran Foundation, Team Socceroo Football Club, and noted economist Bernardo Villegas, who is also a member of the Philippine National Football League task force, are also lending their support. Canadian telecommunications, BPO, and IT company Telus is providing private sector support.
UA&P's president, Dr. Jose Maria Mariano, explained his school's enthusiasm for the project.
“Football can be an effective means for character development. And it has been observed that sports can help build communities.”
Paulus Reyes also emphasized that the event will focus on Futsal, the five-a-side indoor variant of the Beautiful Game. According to him Futsal is more suited for underprivileged urban communities because it can be played in a smaller area and on concrete Basketball courts.
“It's also a more fast-paced game where a higher technical ability is needed” added Reyes. Many players who start off with Futsal eventually move on to the 11-a-side game.
Paulus and his brothers Nicholas, Michael, and the late Wool Reyes started Team Socceroo. Paulus and Michael still play for the club in the UFL.
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“The thing that hurts me most is when people say Football is only for the elite” said UK Ambassador to the Philippines, Asif Anwar Ahmad. The British government has already done their bit to spur development of Filipino youth Football by taking the national U11 Boys squad on a training trip to England last year.
Ahmad's sentiment was echoed by Nigerian Ambassador Akinyemi Farounbi, who said that his country are “the experts of Street Football” since many Nigerians have reached the highest levels of European club competition while learning the game in the hardscrabble slums of Lagos.
The PFF will also be helping the community coaches of the teams by giving them basic coaching seminars. The kids are expected to train four times a week during the summer and they will also be beneficiaries of two field trips; one to watch a UFL game in Emperador Stadium and another to actually play on its artificial grass.
This tournament could lead to other projects. The Brazilian Ambassador, George Ney De Souza Fernandes, even said that a tournament involving the Ambassador Cup teams and the teams from the typhoon-struck Leyte is being planned for November.
What is apparent is that the Cup is not just meant to promote Football but also to spread goodwill and international understanding. But that didn't prevent the envoys in attendance from engaging in some good-natured trash-talking.
“Our team will play with British passion and will never give up. If they lose then they will lose gallantly, but I expect them to win” crowed Ahmad.
The priceless response from South Africa's lady ambassador, Ndateni Agnes Nyamande-Pitso, was “I have heard what the British ambassador has said, and all I can say is... 'Game On!'”
USA Embassy sponsors Sports clinics.
Representing the United States at the Ambassadors Cup press conference was Joel Ehrendreich from the U.S. Embassy. But the Americans also made it known that they will also be involved in two other projects involving sports more closer to their heart.
The embassy, in cooperation with the PBA's Alaska Aces, Major League Baseball, and the Philippine Sports Commission, will host Basketball and Baseball clinics this weekend, March 1 and 2, at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.
800 boys and girls aged eight to eighteen will be a part of the clinics. Some Alaska Aces will take care of the hoops part of the program while a coach from the MLB's overseas coaching will lead the Baseball part of the endeavor.
This is part of the “America in 3D” weekend roadshow in SM Mall of Asia that highlights American culture and embassy services.
United States Ambassador to the Philippines Goldberg will be at the Rizal Memorial Baseball stadium on Sunday at 2:00 pm to throw the ceremonial first pitch of the final Baseball game.
Follow Bob on Twitter @PassionateFanPH.
