PHL U11 Boys Football team to train in England
And you thought only the Azkals went on training camps abroad.
A squad of 22 Filipino booters born in 2002 and afterwards is venturing to a three-week intensive training course in Loughborough University in Leicestershire, England.
The team of pint-sized millenials is being sent there through the generosity of the British Council and the British embassy. It is the part of a lofty goal the Philippine Football Federation has set: to qualify for the U17 FIFA World Cup in 2019. The team left on Friday and will be back on September 15.
“Football can only thrive if generation after generation invests in the game” said British Ambassador to the Philippines Asif Ahmad in last Friday's press conference in the Peninsula Manila.
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“These boys have already met the Azkals, and they are now inspired to one day take their place” added Ambassador Ahmad, a diehard supporter of Liverpool FC.
The players were selected from thousands of aspirants in the Festivals of Footballs conducted by the PFF in Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, and Tarlac. The Festivals are part of the Kasibulan Grassroots Course that are funded by the Philippine Amusements and Gaming Corporation and supported by the Asian Football Development Project.
Aeyh Fabroada, a 26-year-old former San Beda and Loyola Meralco Spark player from Pagsangjan, Laguna, is the head coach.
The U11s will train in Loughborough, which is renowned for its sports education programs, and also play in some friendly games. The kids will also have educational modules in the three week seminar that include English lessons.
According to Nick Thomas, the country director of the British Council, the Loughborough University facility is where the Great Britain team trained in the lead-up to the 2012 London Olympic Games.
The boys will also have the once-in-a-lifetime chance to watch in person not one, but two Football matches at the highest level of the sport. They are slated to take in a Barclays Premier League match between West Bromwich Albion and Swansea, then watch the England – Moldova FIFA 2014 World Cup qualifier on September 6 in Wembley Stadium, the cathedral of English Football.
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The project is being sponsored by ABS-CBN, SM West Avenue Theater Inc., Philippine Daily Inquirer, Voyage Film Studios, Toby's Sports and Spears Sports Activation. The official kit supplier for the team is Mitre.
Filmakers Clodualdo del Mundo and Baby Ruth Villarama will trail the contingent all throughout the three-week stint and produce a documentary about the experience, which will be shown in SM Cinemas. It will be produced by Albert Almendralejo.
There are indications that there will be other similar partnerships between the PFF and the British Council going forward.
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“There are two important words in all this” explained Ebong Joson, the PFF Marketing and Communications head. “Long-term. We want to make this last.”
Joson delivered the most touching moment of the evening when he told the story of a young kid named Shane Clemente, who helped lead the Kaholeros, an Azkals supporters group, in cheering during games. He has also helped lead the Kaya Ultras in their support of the UFL team. Clemente, from Acacia Elementary School in Malabon, is one of the players selected for the UK trip.
The British Council is the official cultural relations organization of the United Kingdom and is active in promoting education and the arts in the Philippines. The council has also supported the I Am a Changemaker project since 2008, which provides seed money for young enterpreneurs with outstanding social enterprise ideas.
Philippines U11 Boys National Football team:
Mark Alanquihan (Dipolog), Amir Andre Amaikurut ( Davao), Josh Asignar ( Cebu), Yuan Rena (Cebu), Tristan Enad (Cebu), Charles Unabia (Cebu), Chevey Celeste (San Carlos City, Negros Occ.), Shemrei Marabillo (San Carlos City, Negros Occ.), Joie Gaid Jr. (Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon), Greg Naquines (Cagayan de Oro), John Karl Soloma (Iloilo), Jill Pillora (Iloilo), Agiel John Rojo (South Cotobato), Drexler Valencia (Dumaguete, Negros Oriental), Ildefonso Escobin (Lumban, Laguna), Robert Orr (NCR), Michael Osorio (NCR), Jacob Pedernal (NCR), Jose Dante Guitierrez (NCR), Nicolai Art San Jose (Calamba, Laguna), Shane Clemente (NCR), and Vin Joel Dela Cruz (Mandaluyong, NCR).
Visit the website of the British Council of the Philippines at www.britishcouncil.org.ph. Follow Bob on Twitter @bhobg333.
