Grassroots football alive and kicking
By ROY MEDINA
abs-cbnNEWS.com Senior Editor
It was not until recently that I became fully aware that a football field is technically termed "pitch." Yes, it’s called a pitch, not a field full of carpet grass.
In college, I took up football as one of the required physical education courses. Our instructor, if I remember it correctly, was not able to explain what the field is termed technically. All we knew is that we were at the University of the Philippines oval for football class.
But compared to the place where basketball is played, I knew what its technical term was even before I started kindergarten. It’s a basketball court.
Now that’s more familiar, not only for me but for the average Filipino.
It’s because basketball courts in Metro Manila and the provinces are everywhere. You see them in schools, street corners, near bus stops, transport terminals, markets, subdivisions, rice fields and of course, the town plaza.
But a football pitch? Seldom can you see them except for schools and other institutions that have spaces big enough to accommodate a rectangular field that is 90-120 meters in length and 45-90 meters in width.
Basketball thrives in professional and amateur leagues, in summer competitions and in commercial tournaments.
Football, however, is another matter.
Except for school tournaments, summer clinics and competitions sanctioned by the Philippine Football Federation (PFF), the game has remained on unfamiliar territory for the average Filipino youngster.
This, however, could change significantly in the future as PFF intensifies its nationwide campaign to place the Philippines in the football world map.
Unknown to many, PFF runs five regional training centers in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Aside from these, it has a national training center in Barotac Nuevo in Iloilo.
A PFF-backed team also saw action in the Asian Football Confederation Cup in Bangladesh this year. The Filipinos, however, lost to Chinese Taipei during their first outing on January 4. Succeeding games against India (March 4) and Afghanistan (April 5) both ended on scores of 1-1.
Zgoll’s goal
Despite the losses of Filipinos in overseas tournaments and the just-concluded 23rd Southeast Asian Games, the federation is banking on a study done by a German doctor named Bernhard Zgoll to improve the country’s status, football-wise.
Zgoll, a man known in international football circles for his ability to develop teams from scratch, first came to Manila in mid-1978. He was tasked by the government to diagnose and analyze the Philippine football condition.
Following a three-month study, Zgoll came up with a report. Part of the report said, "Nothing short of a complete and thorough overhaul is needed before the sport can be given the proper impetus for growth."
One of Zgoll’s recommendations said: "Nationwide and unified football competitions all over the Philippines [should be established] on different levels, including competition of youngsters."
He also said that competitions should be supported by local government authorities.
Recently, PFF came up with a grassroots football program patterned after Zgoll’s study.
The federation’s intensified campaign came at a time when the Philippines is listed 191st among 207 members of the Federation International de Football Association (FIFA).
The program was held at the Marikina Sports Center. School and club teams from Metro Manila and guests from Davao, Masbate and Baguio participated in the seven-a-side football festival.
Aside from the tournament, PFF, together with Federacion Andaluza de Futbol launched a coaching course in May at the Philsports Complex in Pasig City.
The course focused on youth development. It also provided tools to better prepare the coaches for the centers of football excellence which will be established in provinces, PFF said.
Start 'em young
A federation member, the Davao Football Association (DFA), is implementing the PFF-backed "Kasibulan Project" that caters to players six to 12 years old.
DFA also has the Delta Project and the Center for Football Excellence. These are what DFA termed as "peculiar strategies" that comprise the other part of grassroots development.
That "other" part, DFA said, is the complementary progression that would polish the outstanding talents sieved from the Kasibulan programs.
"This is our comprehensive scheme to gratify the distinct proficiency of the best and brightest - the elite - a continuing process for our future football standouts," DFA said.
PFF is developing those future football standouts for the Men’s, Men’s Under-23, Women’s, Boys’ Under-14 and Futsal national squads.
Following the Philippines’ Asian Football Conference stint in Bangladesh, PFF is eyeing to develop the team to become a squad fit for World Cup competition.
The task could be daunting especially for the Philippines because of its bottom FIFA ranking. But come to think of it, all champion teams started at the bottom and transformed their way on the shoulders of a strong grassroots training.
Grassroots football alive and kicking
Originally Posted by bcasabee
Reply With Quote
Posting Permissions
