YFL Watch: A Photo-video from the May 19 Games

Here it is. All photos used in the video are owned by Youth Football League. Permission to use was granted.

Hope this inspires more kids and youth to get into sports...football!

As a (CFA) Football Player and a Parent (Part 2)

Let me continue where we left off.

From the scholastic football games, we now move into the club games.

Football Clubs and Academies 

Club games and practices are usually on a weekend. Usually. But not always.

When there is school, club meetings are limited to once a week to give way to academic activities and other matters like football. Yes, like football.

Come Summer time, it could be dizzying or tiring for the unprepared.

Since football clubs are literally everywhere, from Aparri to Jolo and in between the three major islands of the Philippines. Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao have got what we call the best football programs with Visayas boasting of Barotac as the country's football capital.

So yes, as a player of Cavite Football Academy, one joins the weekly training at the football field of Philippine Christian University-Dasmarinas. Every Saturday, from 8 AM to 12 NN, rain or shine (sometimes earthquakes and flooding), they play with their buddies.

                                                     
                                                 Video Courtesy of Mr Edric Luna

With several clubs forming different teams for each age groups: Under 7, Under 9, Under 11, Under 13, Under 15 and Under 17, a player is never to run out of teams and tournaments to play. For each team, there are tournaments for every reason and season.

It is surprising to find out the organizations you encounter for each tournament. There are Regional Organizations like Luzon Football Association, Cavite Football Association, North Eastern Luzon Football Association, Laguna Football Association and many more.

AFC Grassroots Day Celebration at Carmona, Cavite. 05.15.2019

Football Moms at the AFC Grassroots Day Celebration

In the club level, you have Kaya Football Club, Green Archers United, Ceres-Negros Football Club, Atletico-Diliman Football Club, Alab Football Club, JPV- Marikina Football Club, Imus United Football Club, Stallions-Laguna Football Club and yes... and many more.

Isn't it amazing? Football is very much alive in our country. And that's one of the reasons why our youth players, if left unguided, might get lost or burn out with all the tournaments and training they take part of.

For CFA Players

They have played in various tournaments like:

• CAFA Cup
• Xavier Cup
• Philippine Football Federation's (PPF) Festival of Football (FoF)
• PFF's U15 National Championships
• San Lazaro Cup
• Youth Football League
• Gilligan's Cup
• And many more

Football parents have learned to work around the schedule and pressure of watching and sending their kids to football games. Some parents have the old-school approach to the extent of taking the coach stance during games. Some parents choose to act like normal member of the audience: claps-shouts-use-phone-repeat-cycle.

After six years of watching football games, I haven't understood this one football rule: The Offside Rule.

AFC Grassroots Day Celebration 2019

And after years of bringing them to football games, me and my wife have met people who have become regular weekend companions. Slowly, we have become certified football parent: burnt skin, husky voices, achy feet and thrilled to be with our kids (di ba?).

Expenses

Fortunate we are for we are part of Cavite Football Academy, a sports program under the Provincial Government of the Province of Cavite. CFA provides our kids the following support:

• Coaching and training are all free of charge

• Pick-up points, transportation to and from training and game venues

• Football kits (light and dark)

• Food during practice and games

• Five kilo of rice every two weeks

Imagine that?

In which area do we really spend money one?

Boots and more boots. For teenagers like mine, game day allowance is a must. Socks, shin guards too. Gas for car and food for everyone joining in the fun because you cannot spell fund without fun.

And that's what life is like for most of us football parents.

Thank you for taking time off to read. 

Philippine Football in One Weekend

The past weekend showed us how volatile life can be. One big news after another came in thru my social media accounts. Here they are, one by one.

CORRECTION CORRECTION CORRECTION CORRECTION

And with the win, DLSU will be playing in the Semi-Finals (FINAL FOUR) against the defending champion, University of the Philippines.

My former student, Xavi Zubiri, scores the lone goal in the UAAP Men's Football Q'FINALS encounter against Far Eastern University.

My news feed was flooded with #football #dlsu #finalfour and so I checked for any videos online and here's what I found:

   

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The weekend games at Speed Regalo Youth Football League continues at the Alabang Country Club. Visit these links to get the updates of standings for each age groups:

Team Standings: U7, U9, U11, U13, U15 and U17.

The Youth Football League, on its third year, has become, and remains to be, the elite youth league in the country. It won't be surprising for UAAP and NCAA teams to "fish out" players from here. Divisions U15 and U17 are the feeder age groups for them.

Every weekend, when I set foot at the ACC grounds, I am in awe of the relevance of the league to the grassroots development of football in the country. Always!

News from 62nd Edition of DEPED Palarong Pambansa:

National Capital Region are the over-all champions with 213 Gold medals, followed at second by Region 4A- CALABARZON with 188 Gold medals and on third is the Region 6 - Western Visayas with 147 Gold medals.

And in the Football event, the championship matches for grade school and high school went to Western Visayas and Central Visayas.

Central Visayas Regional Athletic Association (CVRAA) won the championship for the Grade school division and in the Secondary division, it was the Western Visayas Regional Athletic Association who took the spotlight.

This one will be a long read:

OVER-ALL Champions and Ranking

Champion - National Capital Region

1st Runner-Up - CALABARZON

2nd Runner-Up - Western Visayas

Regular Sports - Elementary

Champion -CALABARZON

1st Runner-Up - National Capital Region

2nd Runner-Up - Western Visayas

Regular Sports - Secondary

Champion - National Capital Region

1st Runner-Up - CALABARZON

2nd Runner-Up - Western Visayas

2019 Palarong Pambansa Special Awards

Cleanest, Greenest and Most Eco-Friendly Delegation

Champion - Bicol Region

1st Runner-Up - CALABARZON

2nd Runner-Up - Davao Region

Most Organized Delegation

Champion - SOCCSKSARGEN

1st Runner-Up - Bicol Region

2nd Runner-Up - CALABARZON

Most Disciplined Delegation

Champion - Bicol Region

1st Runner-Up - CALABARZON

2nd Runner-Up - Davao Region

Best Billeting Quarter

Champion - Davao Region - Mintal Central Elementary School

1st Runner-Up - CALABARZON - Maa National High School

2nd Runner-Up - Bicol Region - Sta. Ana National High School

Special Games

Champion - CALABARZON

1st Runner-Up - Western Visayas

2nd Runner-Up - National Capital Region

And just when I was about to wrap up my weekend, coming from my son's training with GAU, J, another former student of mine who has worked professionally with a football club from the north, that something's happening, something is coming out.

And then this:  PFF Terminates Agreement With League Operator. 

What?

Then I followed up with J, and all he said was "Yes Mr Francis, it's really happening..."

But the next few public statements made were hopeful.

Let's see what happens next.

As for me, I'll be glad to see football played in the youth section, in the scholastic level. If it must be, then let the collegiate football show us first how exciting this beautiful game can be.

Danke!   

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: