Growing in popularity, PHL football needs grassroots support

Football continues to grow massively in the Philippines and sometimes in the most unlikely of places. Having just come back from a meeting with barangay captain Rose Dadulo regarding developing football in Payatas in Quezon City, I was watching some of the kids play two-on-two at the local basketball court. These children are part of Payatas FC, the team I coach each week as part of the Fairplay for All Foundation I run with Naomi Tomlinson. Payatas FC is a team composed of children from Payatas, home to the largest dumpsite in Metro Manila but is also the center of football in the area. Football development is also getting official recognition and funding as Gawad Kalinga recently received a US$25,000 grant from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in association with the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) for their SipaG initiative. Renewed each year, this grant will fund football development in Gawad Kalinga villages. Building grassroots football in some of the poorest communities may one day reap rewards in the form of world-class players, much in the same way that football development in Brazil has seen generations of stars, from Pele to Ronaldinho, come from the favelas or the Brazilian slums. An important aspect of this was noted by Gawad Kalinga's Executive Director Luis Oquiñena who said that "poverty often robs children of (their) dreams and aspirations." Football provides a way for children to dream of a better future and work towards achieving it. Brazil's advantage is with plenty of fields, children are exposed to football early and can play in open spaces. In their system of fields divided into levels, the top players will play on the top field, while each subsequent pitch represents the next division. Players must earn the right to move to the next pitch by showing their skills in small-sided games. In the Philippines, grassroots football has also been developing but naturally lags. As one of the most densely populated cities in the world, Manila lacks open spaces to play the beautiful game. The new turf in Bonifacio Global City is a welcome addition but is intended for an upscale market with its high rental charges and posh location. It provides a good venue for the UFL Division 2, but more investment is needed to supply the demand for football, particularly in the poorer areas, if the Philippines wants a future generation of stars. However, there are programs and foundations designed to help bridge that gap. Programs such as Football for Good run by Ed Formoso, which holds tournaments three times a year that bring together an increasingly large number of youth teams. From Under-7s to Under-17s, the tournament shows the skill and quality of the youth teams around the country and it was a great contributing factor to the success of the Philippine team in the Street Child World Cup in 2010. It gives a place for Gawad Kalinga, Payatas FC and other teams to compete. The next steps With the money that has eflowed into the UFL it won't be long before other teams follow Kaya's lead in forming an academy. Typically the legends of a team are formed in the youth system. Manchester United boasts an unusually large number of top quality graduates, perhaps explaining why they are the most successful English team, with stars such as Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and David Beckham produced by their academy. John Terry used to be Chelsea's rock while Jamie Carraghar and Steven Gerrard are Liverpool's backbone. If other teams don't, Kaya will have a monopoly on future stars. Youth teams are one of the vital steps for Philippine football, as money is invested in producing players for the future and not just in acquiring the good ones now. To achieve this, though, clubs must become somewhat sustainable in raising their revenues, typically achieved through sponsorship, merchandise and ticket sales. The first two are under development and with TV rights beginning this season, the onlycomponent lacking is the grounds for each of the clubs. Teams having their own grounds are essential for progress, as it gives a place for each club to regularly train and develop youth players, and for fans a venue to watch the games. Some UFL teams have even resorted to training on basketball courts. Schedule conflicts also stop when the club owns the ground but it is an important factor in the lasting success of every domestic league. The future of Philippine football is bright. Still in its infancy, the pieces are being put together into an ever-improving picture. The Philippines has the potential to be a real player in football but progress requires investment in grassroots and pitches. Youngsters need a place to compete in tournaments and leagues in order to hone their skills before reaching the senior sides. — HS, GMA News