MikeLigalig.com

by pna

 Assessing some 115 kasibulan grassroots football courses and sports festivals conducted across the country, Aquilino Pastoral III, Philippine Football Federation (PFF) national grassroots program adviser, remarked that the grassroots football development program augurs well in transcending cultural differences.

“It was heartwarming to witness some parts in Mindanao where in one camp had soldiers train and play football with their kids, while in another, children of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) also had their field day on football.”

“Ake” Pastoral made this observation during a visit here Wednesday as he announced for a Calamba City-wide “5V5 Football Grassroots Challenge” on Sunday morning at the Don Dosco College in Canlubang to ensure a solid, competitive grassroots-based football sports program embracing an inter-cultural football environment.

He said the PFF-led sports event aims to conduct grassroots football seminar for kids, much like a circuit training and sports clinic and organize football teams for the teen players in Canlubang, home of the young football sports champs – Schwarz Football Club.

“This basic training program is patterned after the Japanese 5V5, 8V8 – age brackets so they could learn football skills and maximize space including mentoring teachers and coaches so they would eventually echo the training for the kids,” Pastoral explained.

Calamba’s grassroots players from barangays Canlubang, Lawa, Turbina, Laguerta, Real, Lecheria, Halang and Paciano are expected to participate in the event.

He also looked forward to the participation of the “Calamba Puppies” – this city’s homegrown offspring version of the Philippine Azkals.

“We see how the kids developed the excitement and the “idol image” on the Azkals, sasabayan natin sila as the kids grow, learn, be honed and focused on their skills in succession to form a strong and competitive National Team,” Pastoral said as he expressed optimism on the PFF’s national macro-view strategy to start them young at the grassroots level.

Since the successful launch of the PFF Kasibulan Grassroots Football Program in February this year, about 38,000 Filipino youth and children ranging six to 12 years old are now into football sports and still counting.

Graced by His Royal Highness Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of Jordan during the historic launching, the Kasibulan grassroots football program has since made strides as PFF sustains the training of thousands of young football players with the support of its 33 provincial football associations.

The program also covers the mentoring and accreditation of some 5,300 coaches and teachers with their grassroots badges, conducting the FIFA-sanctioned grassroots courses and hosting close to 200 sports fests to 44 venues by month’s end.

The Royal Prince’s Asian Football Development Program made headway for the football program funding and provision for equipment.

PFF has also forged the memorandum of agreement with the DepEd last July for the conduct of the grassroots football courses throughout the country in line with the schools K+12 curriculum development.

Pastoral also praised the Laguna Football Association for sending in their local coaches and trainers who have organized training schedules with the support of the local government units (LGUs) and the private sector.

The PFF grassroots football development program is now implemented in Calamba, Santa Rosa, Sta. Cruz, Cabuyao, Victoria and soon in Los Baños.

“We aim to reach as many as we can and thank the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) for being instrumental for the program’s P20-million funding to promote football across the country,” Pastoral said.

As PFF aims to strengthen the base of Philippine football at the grassroots, Pastoral added that the program also encourages participation of the girls and ladies who he observed to “have less interest in this sport mainly because of the perception that football is a male’s game.”

He also relayed the PFF appreciation to PAGCOR’s enormous support through its Chairman and CEO Cristino Naguiat Jr as the PFF and the government corporation partnership assessed the positive results during the first eight months of the Kasibulan football program.

Pastoral lauded PAGCOR’s continuing support to the development of the country’s sports at the grassroots as he received the huge turnout of Filipino children and youth mobilized by the PFF’s grassroots development officers in the regions.

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