13 booters picked from PH U13 Mindanao tryouts

By Marsante G. Alison
Cebu Daily News


SOME 13 footballers from Mindanao have been initially picked for the PH U13 boys training pool following the holding of one of the Mindanao regionals in Iligan dubbed “Festival of Football” which started last Friday.

Coach Oliver Colina said the 13 boys were picked from seven teams—two from Iligan and one team each from Lanao del Norte, Cagayan de Oro, Dipolog, Pagadian and Ozamiz.

Colina, however, clarified that these boys will still undergo a final evaluation, which will be done after he has also scouted other talents from other U13 boys regional festival of football which will be held in various areas of the country.

Other scheduled regionals will be held in Davao (Mindanao regionals) on March 18 to 20, San Carlos City (Visayas regionals) on March 25 to 27, Laguna (National Capital Region regionals) on April 4 to 6 and Tarlac (Luzon regionals) also on March 25 to 27.

Colina said that after the evaluation, the training pool will immediately start on April 25 in Cebu City.

The training pool will have 30 footballers and will be trimmed down to 22 who will then become official members of the RP U13 boys team.

The national team, which will be sponsored by the DRBSports, will be tagged as the "Little Azkals" and will be seeing action in the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) U13 Festival of Football from June 1 to 6 in Malaysia.

DRBSports will be partnering with the Cebu Football Association (CFA) in several projects aimed at further developing the grassroots program of football not only in Cebu but also in the whole country.

Its first undertaking will be the DRB Football Jamboree, an 11-A-side football festival scheduled from April 2 to 3 at the Aboitiz Sportsfield in Subangdaku Mandaue City. The proceeds of the Jamboree will go to the Little Azkals.

DRBSports plans to partner with the CFA in holding three or four tournaments annually and later on also help in CFA’s referees development program.