Tacloban City — After weeks of preparation, FundLife International, through the Football For Life Academy (FFLA) programme, officially launched the first ever Summer League with twelve teams competing in the opening ceremony held at the Multi-Purpose Hall of Brgy. 59-Sampaguita, Tacloban City last May 11, 2019.
The tournament is designed to engage children in fun-filled activities which include developmental workshops to purposely inculcate values such as respect, cooperation and discipline. It also provides a training ground for established school-based football teams into competitive play with a strong emphasis on fair play and discipline.
Players participating in the developmental workshops.
Match day one of Summer League marked the start of the matchups for the Girls and Kids categories wherein a total of 65 players were in attendance, 51 of which are girls. Most of the teams gathered are from FundLife partner schools and communities with the exception of local football clubs, Los Aguilas Football United and Sangkay FC.
Teams that participated during the opening ceremony are as follows:
Girls category - Sangkay Football Club, San Jose National High School (SJNHS), Sagkahan National High School (SNHS), Palo National High School (PNHS), Tanauan School of Craftsmanship and Home Industries (TSCHI), San Isidro, Los Aguilas Football United’s Team A and B.
Kids Category (Mixed) - Anibong, Sagkahan Central School A, Tanauan School of Craftsmanship and Home Industries (TSHCI), San Isidro. (Other teams that will be playing in the Kids Category are Sagkahan Central School B and Tagpuro Center.)
The commencement of the tournament emphasized the participation of newly formed teams that will be playing in the next season of the Girls Community League (GCL) – Tacloban. It also observed the engagement of boys from one of the Social Development Care Center in Tacloban whom the Arsenal Gappers and FFLA Coaches had been coaching since the start of the year.
Aside from the two categories, adolescent males will also be joining the league in their respective category with teams from: SJNHS, SNHS, PNHS, TSCHI, SCS, San Isidro, Anibong, and Remedios Trinidad Romualdez (RTR) site.
The Summer league also focuses on the use of football as an educational tool, hence, a special rule was developed where team captains will give a fair play point to opposing teams after each game — 3 points, if the team played absolute fair play; 2 points, for good fair play; and 1 point if the team shows low level of fair play.
The teams with the most fair play points will be crowned as ‘Fairplay Champions’ as an indication of their high level of fair play and respect to opposing teams during the competition.
Summer League games will be played every Saturday at Brgy. 59 – Multi Purpose Hall, Tacloban City until its conclusion on June 22.