Barili FC overcomes odds, bag Players 8 title in first attempt in Thirsty Cup

By Marian C. Baring

Saturday, February 11, 2012

IF CATMON has a strong foundation in volleyball, Barili is aiming to have a football powerhouse team.

The Players 8 team of Barili FC hit it big in its first attempt in the Thirsty Cup as it beat the visiting Masbate, 2-1, in an exciting shootout in the final.


“It is our dream for Barili to have a strong football team just as Catmon has volleyball,” said coach and teacher Lina Eleccion.

In the match, Barili figured to a 1-1 draw in regulation to force the shootout. Barili goalie Deo Prinz Niño Ortiz stopped Masbate’s first two kickers, while Bruce Algono banged in the winning goal.

Eleccion said that they never pressured the boys to win the title.

“We joined because these kids go to school at dawn so they could jog and go home later than everyone else for their training. There aren’t a lot of tournaments that they can join in Barili so this tournament was very helpful in giving them exposure,” said Eleccion. “We want them to get as much training as they can while they are still young because in the future, they will raise football’s popularity in Barili just like we did back in the past.”

Eleccion added that she could remember football was very popular in their town the 80s and she wants that to happen again.

“When I took over, I knew I wanted that to happen,” she said. So she went room to room to ask players who want to try playing football and got a trainer for their training sessions, which is held twice per day.

In a short time, they were able to develop talented players.

“The provincial team during the last Central Visayas Regional Athletic Association picked up four players from Barili to reinforce the team, which was also a proud moment for us,” she added.

But like all success stories, everything had a difficult phase.

“When the team started to take shape, I started needing help, especially in the financial aspect,” said Eleccion. “I gathered all the parents and told them the need for their support and it really helped that they understood the need.”

“But of course, we can’t really force them to give huge amounts because we have to understand their financial limitations as well,” she added.

She added they almost couldn’t make it to the tournament because of budget constraints but she didn’t give up.

“Nipalit ko ug T-shirt para mahimo nilang uniform. Nakagasto ko ug mga P1,000. Nanghangyo ko sa parents ug sa mga kaila nga mutabang. Naay nihatag ug P50, ang uban, P100. Ako ra na gitapok aron naa mi magasto para sa tournament,” she said.

The municipal government of Barili provided them with a bus but Eleccion and the parents had to raise the P3,000 for the fuel.

But Eleccion said all of the hard work paid off after seeing the team’s victory. She is not asking for anything in return--only that someone will give the team uniforms.

“Wala mi nangayo ug prize para ani. Kung naa man gani, maayo unta naay muhatag ug uniform para sa mga bata. Luoy intawn kaayo ug mga nawng. Naglain-lain lang ang dagway sa ilang shorts,” she added.

Meanwhile, Subangdaku FC took the title in the Girls 14 division, defeating San Roque Football Club, 1-0.

In the Girls 17 division, St. Theresa’s College A led the pack after winning all three matches, while Ateneo de Cebu, SRFC and Queen City B are tied in Group B with two wins each.


Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on February 12, 2012.