Payatas FC rises from nothing to winning

When you think of Payatas, hardly any good mental picture comes to mind. It’s dirty, poor, and maybe even unsafe. It’s a mountain of garbage where you can only find things of little to no value at all.   “Gusto palagi kaming manalo para pag sinabing Payatas, hindi lang puro basura ang naiisip ng mga tao,” says Ricardo Ocampo, a homegrown football player.   12-year-old Ricardo is only one of some 40 kids who represent Payatas FC. Started by foreigners Roy Moore (who is a writer for GMA News Online) and Craig Burrows, the football clinic was supposed to be an avenue for children in Payatas to gain football knowledge, some self-esteem, and hopefully, a few medals too along the way.   STARTED WITH NOTHING   “About a hundred kids all came when we first started the clinic. It was crazy to manage,” recalls volunteer head coach Moore.   With a couple of balls, a basketball court and a barangay permit, they were able to hold football trainings every Sunday morning since February last year.   “People in Payatas are very creative,” notes Moore. Because of their apparent lack of equipment, they had to make do with what they had during practices. For one, they used slippers as cones. Before, the kids also had to share spikes.   “Mahirap po kasi yung spikes hati-hati, tapos minsan walang kasya,” says Ricardo.   Thanks to sponsors, the kids now have their own pairs of spikes, although some of them still play barefoot sometimes just because.

  RISING FOOTBALL TALENTS   Word of mouth and a sudden interest in football (thanks to the Azkals) made it easy for the program to become popular in the area. Not long after, the kids were split into two groups – one continued training in the basketball court while another trained in nearby Kasiglahan Village.   “Nakita ko yung mga kaibigan ko na masaya pag nagte-training kaya sumali rin ako,” says Ricardo. “Nung una, kinakabahan ako na baka pagalitan nila ako kasi mali-mali pa ako.”   He recalls that the first thing he learned about football is that you have to kick with the sides of your feet. And from that insecure boy, he is now one of the best defenders of the team.   “Idol ko yung Younghusbands and Hartmanns. Pero kung sa position ko, gusto ko si Rob Gier tsaka si Anton Del Rosario,” he shares, obviously an Azkal fan.   Ricardo is now graduating from elementary school and given the chance, he would like to continue playing football while also taking up computer engineering.   Another kid who showed early promise is 12-year-old Stephen Abutog.   “In our first game ever, Stephen scored the first goal in a 3-nil win. He was just outside the area and he hit the ball to the top corner. He was so happy after that and he even won best goal in the tournament. It was only our first game and he won best goal,” Moore proudly shares.   One of the very few girls in the roster, Angelica Sagum is a budding midfielder.   “She’s a 10-year-old scoring against 13-year-olds,” says Moore.   In a number of games, she scored Payatas FC’s only goals. And she did this while playing against all-boys teams from established football clubs in Metro Manila.   COMPETING AND WINNING AGAINST THE BEST   Of the many tournaments Payatas FC has already joined, Moore is proudest of their very first one. Back in August, they competed in Football for Good where they placed ninth out of 33 teams.   “They had been training for only about six months and it was their first time to play on grass. But they were winning against teams that have already been training for a very long time,” shares Moore.   Among the different age groups, the Under-11 team which includes both Ricardo and Angelica produced the best results. They reached the semifinals and have conceded no goals in all of their tournament appearances.   On March 25, the U-11 squad will compete in another semis game in Ateneo where they hope to finally bring home a cup, and give Payatas a face other than a dumpsite. - AMD, GMA News