Dear Pro Football Philippines 2019

Hi everyone and welcome back to our blog!

If you have been following my writings and musings here, you know very well that our little online space is  still a baby. I started writing about football and for Cavite Football, officially, last January 1, 2019. I started with this post: Cavite Football Academy Blog Launch.

I got into "football" because my sons chose to play the game about five or six years ago.

And about last year, my youngest son represented our city and CALABARZON at the Vigan Palarong Pambansa. He got into Cavite Football Academy and I felt I could help the academy thru blogging.

And that's what got me into football.

Now that I've given you a backgrounder on why I have this space we can move on to my real post.

Dear Professional Football in the Philippines,

I've got questions. Lots of them. Hope you can find the time to read this.

Why? Why are we in such place? I am from a place where adolation is a dime a dozen. Maningko ang pagmamahal where I come from. I know I should never compare you with someone else. I know but please understand that we barely know each other. I can't help but wander.

How could it be this way?

Is it broken? Can we fix this? I want to. Let's try to work it out. I'm holding on. Yes I am that's for sure.

Who? Who can do it? Who can lead the fixing?

Does it need fixing? Or should we let it be?

Know what? Today, today I asked someone. I asked someone who I really think knows the goings-on. I asked him:

"Hi! May I ask for some enlightenment about PFF, PPL and football in general?

"How could the "licensing" issue be a big issue for PPL? 
At the heart of every sports event is the simple desire to "play"...right?"

It becomes "issue-ish" when other aspects of "play" is given more importance than "playing"

And his reply was simple, truthful (that's how I felt when I read it) and with hopelessness (hindsight to which I have no way of fact-checking)

"Sorry  really dunno"

And more questions are in my head now more than ever. You know what, Pro Football, I really think you're growing on me now. I think about you when I wake up. When I stare at my desktop its you I see. When I talk to my wife, I think about you. I imagine myself spending my afternoon weekends with you. I do my daily rounds of teaching, I can feel you. You're always on my mind.

At times, I'm seen by basketball, volleyball, chess and table tennis staring in space and I know they know. They just don't want to confront me. Even my best friend, sleep, nagdududa na.

Pro Football... are you viable in our country? And can the business side wait for a bit? Are we too-much-too-soon in terms of expectations? Can R.O.I. be the last one on the agenda? Please?

FIFA-PFF can you help? As in really help? Is it possible to tweak "some' policies to accommodate the situation in here? 

Don't you think the "Home-and-Away' format is just too much for the clubs to handle? Oh wait, a newbie like me can count money (although not as much). But I have the answer to that. Its too expensive for the clubs!

Can we forego TV sponsorship for now? Do you know any willing sponsors to pay astronomical amount of money for a low-rating TV show? Sorry Pro Football, I didn't mean to hurt you with that. I want to have an honest-to-goodness relationship with you. And I will tell you and ask you what you need to hear.

Can live streams like FB Live do the job for you? Twitter feeds, FB Shout outs and IG posts can help you as well don't you think?

Pro Football, can we start small? No telecast on TV but a social media trending might do the job right?

And the club fees, can we lower it down to something that's really affordable? Please?

Pro Football...how 'bout the most difficult part of this letter? Personalities in your arena.

Let me lay down my cards. I do not know anyone in the pro level. Let me repeat. I do not know anyone personally in the pro level. I have not met anyone from the pro level.

And so I cannot and should not, be partial. Pro Football...I.always aspire to be  impartial.

The owners have invested heavily in their teams. Hell yeah! 

They definitely are crazy in love about "the beautiful game". Of course!

I'm sure their wives have forgiven them a long time ago. Right millionaire husbands?

So why can't we give-in to their wants that are not otherworldly?

Philippine Premier League. Yeah, that's your name now. Sounds good. But it can only be better if you can stand the test of time. Some peeps would love to see you rise up.Some don't and some are playing the wait-and-see game. I don't blame them.

Pro Football, you've seen how the good times roll and you definitely would love to keep on rolling.

I would, cross-my-heart, love-to-see-pro-football-flourish-for-a-long-time before I die. 

Please PPL! 

Stay strong!

Like, strong strong!

Not the strong now but let's see.

Please stay strong!

With love and affection...

Sincerely,

Francis

MISAA Faculty Games Day 1

The Manila International Schools Athletic Association Faculty and Staff Games day 1 produced wins in all of our games for Beacon School. Here is one event I played in, volleyball. We won by default, our opponents, Everest Academy, did not complete a team of six for today.

Breaking News: Stallions Pulls Out of PPL

Breaking News: Stallions Laguna FC Pulls Out Of Philippine Premier League

Football Weekend for Everyone

PPL Games Update Game 1 Philippine Air Force vs Kaya FC-Iloilo Game 2 Globe Green Archers United vs Mendiola FC

Hello everyone and welcome back to our blog!

We have a full schedule of football activities today and tomorrow. The centerpiece of which is the opening of Philippine Premier League today.

Dubbed as "the top-flight association football league in the Philippines sanctioned by the Philippine Football Federation. It succeeded the Philippine Football League (PFL) which ran for two seasons. The first PPL season is set to start on April 27, 2019." - (Wikipedia entry: PPL)                                                                                                                       
After all the wait (and noise) from everyone in the football community, the day has come for the kick-off. Game one between Globe Green Archers United FC and Mendiola FC begins at 4 in the afternoon. Second game will be Philippine Air Force FC and Kaya FC Iloilo at 7:15 in the evening.

Games will be held at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium with a live telecast on 5PLUS. 

You can follow the league's Official social media accounts at:  Facebook Page, Twitter and Instagram. Free entrance to the games to mga 'pre!

And in the grassroots, games are heating up in the Youth Football League. If you want to catch a glimpse of the next Philippine football superstars, head over to Alabang Country Club tomorrow. Games begin at 8 in the morning.

The Schools and Clubs Developmental Football Festival starts today at 7 in the morning. Venue will be at Marist School, Marikina. Age Groups will be the following: Born 2007 (7-a-side), Born 2009 (5-a-side) and Born 2011 (3-a-side).

The 6th Copa San Lazaro this coming April 28, 2019 at the San Lazaro Leisure and Business Park, Carmona, Cavite.  For more details, click on the link COPA San Lazaro Official FB Page. 

And in the local news, Cavite Football Academy and Cavite Football Association prepares for the Philippine Football Federation U15 National Championships 2019. Training resumes for the Academy and selected players today at the PCU-Dasmarinas Football field. As champions for both U12 and U14 Age Groups in the 2019 PFF Regional Festival of Football, we have earned the invitation to play in the nationals this year.

For our last note, the first day of tryouts for City Of Imus Go-for-Gold 2021 (U13 FOOTBALL) will be on Saturday, April 27, at 3:00 PM onwards. Players born 2005/2006, residing/studying in Imus City are highly encouraged to join. Venue will be at the Imus City Grandstand Football Field, Pedro Reyes St. Malagasang. Please get in touch with Imus United FC thru their Official FB Page or send your PM's to Coach Lee Geluz, team manager of the IUCF.

Busy weekend right?

Let's go na!

Observance of Holy Week 2019

In observance of the Holy Week, Scholastic Sports Camps of CEI will be closed from Good Friday to Easter Sunday. We resume normal operations the week after April 23. Thanks for the patronage and have a blessed Lenten Season!

Holy Week 2019

In observance of the Holy Week, Scholastic Sports Camps of CEI will be closed from Good Friday to Easter Sunday. We resume normal operations the week after April 23. Thanks for the patronage and have a blessed Lenten Season!

13th CAFA Cup 7-A-Side Football Festival

Here are the full results for the 13th CAFA Cup 7-A-Side Football Festival.

Footballers and parents alike were in for a treat as the CAFA Cup 7-a-side Football Festival  kicked off its 13th edition on Sunday, April 14 at the Philippine Christian University-Dasmarinas.

Officers of Cavite Football Association spearheaded the event. The organizing group was supported by the participating players, parents, coaches, referees and emergency response team. This year's festival showed us  more participation from different clubs and schools in various age groups.

Congratulations everyone! 

Truly, football is flourishing and let us all help our youth football players by making it accessible for them to join in as many tournaments and festivals as they can.

Here are the full results for the 13th CAFA Cup 7-A-Side Football Festival:

Under 11 (Born 2009) 

Champion: Philippine Christian University-Dasmarinas

1st Runner-up :  Imus United Football, Inc.

2nd Runner-up : Comprendio Soccer Academy

MVP: Alezardo Ngoho

Best Goalkeeper: Errold Froda

Best Defender: Carl Intela

Best Striker: Rafael Ayala

Best Coach: Paul Galicia

Under 13 (Born 2007)

Champion: Cavite Football Academy-A

1st Runner-up:  One La Salle

2nd Runner-up: Cavite Football Academy-B

3rd Runner-up:  Comprendio Soccer Academy

MVP: Derick Casco

Best Striker: Duke Punzalan

Best Defender: EJ Scott

Best Goalkeeper: Red Palaganas

Best Coach: J-Veemar Limboc

Under 15 (Born 2005)

Champion: Cavite Football Academy 

1st Runner Up : Elizabeth Seton School-Imus Football Club 

2nd Runner Up : Imus United Football, Inc.

3rd Runner Up : Dasmarinas United Football Club

MVP: Davin Cervantes

Best Goalkeeper: Andre Jaingue

Best Defender: Xerxes Luna

Best Striker: Liam Monserrat

Best Coach: Reymart De Los Santos

Under 17 (Born 2003)

Champion: Comprendio Soccer Academy-A

1st Runner-up: Cavite Football Academy

2nd Runner-up: Comprendio Soccer Academy-B

MVP: Lucas Arello

Best Goalkeeper: Steven Chia

Best Striker: JM Pavelona

Best Defender: Arman Bautista

Under 19 (Born 2001)

Champion: Arellano University

1st Runner-up: Congressional Integrated FC

2nd Runner-up: Comprendio Soccer Academy 

3rd Runner-up: FLAME United Cherifer FC

MVP: Jimen Catap

Best Goalkeeper: Garachico

Best Defender: Allen Natanauan

Best Striker: Nico Sumanoy

Women's Open Division

Champion: Congressional Integrated FC-A

1st Runner-up:  Comprendio Soccer Academy-B

2nd Runner-up: Congressional Integrated FC-B

3rd Runner-up:  FLAME United Cherifer FC

MVP: Esperanza Lacabal

Best Goalkeeper: Ruiz Adelmar

Best Defender: Grace Amidoga

Best Striker: Maye Derdanio

Best Coach: Gee Espique

Men's Open Division 

Champion: Arellano Chiefs

1st Runner-up : PCU Tanders

2nd Runner-up : Black Lions

MVP: Jeric Cordon

Best Goalkeeper: Charles Ledesma

Best Defender: Rey Angel Agan

Best Striker: Roy Villasenor

For our readers who wants to download photos from the 13th CAFA Cup 7-A-Side Football Festival, please head over to here: Official Facebook Page of Cavite Football Association.

Scenes from YFL U15 and U17 Games

I was early at the Alabang Country Club today to get a glimpse of the U15 and U17 games of the Speed Regalo Padala Youth Football League 2019. The games for these two age groups are much more tactical, the players, more skilled compared to the younger age groups.

My Favorite Place on a Sunday Morning

Since there was nothing much to do but be excited knowing I could be seeing the future National Team Players, I walked around and look at what I saw:



The sun was up, the kids were ready and so I continued and watched a bit of a goal keeping drill:



And here are the photos from the FB Page of YFL:

Official results of today's games will come from the YFL Page. I'll be processing some of the videos I took in the next few days.

Meanwhile, we will have the 13th Cavite Football Association Cup report next. Hang on!

Youth Football News April 2019

Hi everyone!

Speed Regalo Padala Youth Football League 2019 is in full swing and we have seen most of the teams play in the last three weekends. You can visit my previous posts in this blog if you want to watch Live Streams of the Games at Game TV here.

Also, here are websites and pages that you can visit to know more on what's happening in the league:

• Official Website Youth Football League 
• Facebook Page Youth Football League 
• Instagram Youth Football League

And for a recap, here are the game results courtesy of Claro Manzano:

• 2019 Speed Regalo Youth Football League Kicks Off at the Alabang Country Club
• 2019 Speed Regalo Youth Football league U15 Division Games Kick Off at MJC
• Apuesto Bueno, GAU Stamp Class in Speed Regalo Youth Football League U17 Opening Day

And for this weekend, head off to Alabang Country Club for the U15 and U17 games:

Livestream of Speed Regalo Padala Youth Football League 2019

Hi everyone!

Here are the livestream of the football games from Speed Regalo Padala Youth Football league 2019.

Youth Football League Games April 7, 2019 
Venue: San Lazaro Leisure Business Park, Carmona, Cavite.
Cignal CH 109 - GAMETIME TVGTV E-Sports

Under 15 Division

Game 1: Kaya Elite (4) vs Ceres South (1)
Game 2: G8 (0) vs GOM (6)
Game 3: Bohemian (3) vs Mendiola (0)

If you want to watch more, please visit the Youtube Chanel of Gametime TV. You can also watch Coach Hans Peter Smith TV show called Hans On.  Check this Episode 1, Part 1.  

Lot's of good stuff!

PFF President to FIFA Council 2009-2023

A bit late for posting, this is old news but still, big news for Philippine football. Philippine Football Federation President Mariano V. Araneta, Jr. is re-elected to FIFA Council. He will have one vote in all matters of FIFA Governance.

Congratulations Boss Nonong!

For more on this matter, visit the Official Website of the Philippine Football Federation here.

Football Tryouts: Metro Manila Schools

Have you considered your athletic talent as a means to travel? Or support your education—in your dream school, no less?

A sports scholarship is a grant made to support a student’s education based on his or her ability to play a sport. This scholarship award could be a partial or full discount on tuition fee for college, university or private high school. The usual grant include s boardand lodging and other school fees including uniform and books. And from what I've seen firsthand as a coach, financial allowance to the student-athlete is also part of the package in some super-big schools. The "offer" if there is one, is much bigger if the student-athlete is a blue chip recruit. A scholastic sports program, with tremendous backing from their alumni, will never give up easily on a talent and will mive mountains just to get the player.

Exaggeration? Seriously not.

Want to find out if you've got what it takes to make the cut?  Then check out the photos below for the schedule of tryouts:

Football Activities in Cavite

The summer heat is definitely here and so are the football activities happening in Cavite. Here are some important announcements and updates:

Cavite Football Association's Calendar of Activities for SY 2019-2020:

13th CAFA Cup:

And PCU's campaign in the recently concluded 20th NCAA-South: Men's Team wins the Gold and the high school team brings home the Bronze!

And in the current Olympic Qualifier for Women's Football, our Philippine Team boasts of our very own, Kimberly Parina playing as a goalkeeper. As of today, we have qualified to play in the second round by winning 2-0 over Iran.

And yes, Coach Rene Comprendio's 16th Natividad Elmer Comprendio Memorial All-Girls Soccer Cup:

High School Open Category:

Champion - Dasmariñas

1st Runner-Up - Don Bosco

2nd Runner-Up - Black Lions FC

Grade School Category:

Champion - Comprendio Soccer Academy - A

1st Runner-Up - Comprendio Soccer Academy - B

And over at the Alab Football Club, April 28, 2019 will be the 6th COPA San Lazaro. A 7-a-side Football Festival for different age groups. 

Cavite Football Association has been promoting football in the last 13 or 14 years. Thank you for making it happen. The Cavite Football Academy, supported by the Office of the Provincial Government, has also shared in the grassroots development in the area. 

An academy-status gives the players the opportunity to join any club and tournaments they feel like joining in. This I guess is the edge our kids have over other players, not to mention most of them also represents their schools as student-athletes.

Thank you adults in Cavite football scene, you are making it happen!

Let me end this post by sharing Henry Adams quote on teaching, which was used by my favorite writer, Paulo Coelho in his book:

Basics of Half-Court Offense

Here is Coach Don Showalter's Fundamentals of Half-Court Offense, a simplistic and practical approach to teaching youth basketball.

Enjoy watching!

    

Cavite Football's Wonderful Winning Ways

Cavite football has won and continue to find ways to get into podium finishes in the last two weeks. Interestingly, Cavite Football Academy is part of every conversation today because of the current success the program is having.

First on the list and the most recent, CFA Teams U11 and U13 win the season opener of the Speed Regalo Padala-Youth Football League at the Alabang Country Club last weekend, March 31, 2019. 

Green Archers United U13 YFL 2019

Green Archers United U11 YFL 2019

And on the same day the younger kids won their YFL matches, the CFA players from the Born 2004-2005 played and won the 1st Tanauan Cup Championship in Batangas.

And remember CFA winning the Philippine Football Federation Regional Championship for the U15? Look back into the post here.

CFA U15 PFF Regionals FoF Champions 2019

Congratulations to Cavite Football Academy! Let us all be thankful to all the people, office staff, coaches, parents and agencies supporting the program!