Limpag: How FAs can help spread football news

By Mike T. Limpag

Fair Play

Monday, May 28, 2012
THERE are so many things happening in football these days, but not enough gets space in traditional media, due to space constraints and some other factors.
But some areas have it worse; they don’t have any community paper that can help promote the game or their activities like the Leyte Football Association.

“So start a blog,” I told Ted Palami, the brother of Dan.
“But we don’t have any writers,” he said.
And that is one problem. There are too many football blogs out there, but not enough writers. I think most of the blogs and footie sites just copy-paste the stories that appear in traditional media (some with permission) and that sorts of defeat the purpose of a blog.
I told Ted that writing football stories is actually easy, once you get to know the basics. It’s the things you have to do before you write a story—gathering data, taking notes, interviewing people and all those things—that’s hard.
From what I hear, the Leyte FA is doing lots of things and their hosting of the Suzuki Cup Under 23 Visayas eliminations was top class as they applied all the things learned Dan learned when it comes to holding tournaments. They had a welcome dinner and managers’ meeting a day before the game, and they rolled out the red carpet for the visiting teams and officials.
But we didn’t hear any of that, did we? That’s why, if an FA like Leyte doesn’t have a local media that supports it, why not take over that role?
A blog run by an FA, especially if it carries match updates of its own team in regional competitions, is assured of a captive audience of 20—18 players and the coaching staff. Once they see their names in a post, these players are sure to post a link in their various social networking pages. And that’s for just one team.
If the blog carries updates of that FA’s tournaments, then you can add the members of each team to the audience. Then, factor in the family members, friends, girlfriends (or boyfriends) and No. 2s, once you regularly update the blog, your audience will begin to grow.
It also has an advantage over traditional media. Because it’s operated by the FA, readers can easily communicate with the officers, bridging the communication divide and that would be a huge boost.
Eventually, your blog will now play the role of traditional media in your place and this will be helpful for FAs like Leyte, Dumaguete, South Cotabato and the rest not served by a community paper.
So, blog away!
PALAMI FAMILY. By the way, I met Ted during the wedding of his brother Cian and Marifel last week and now I know why Dan is rarely pissed and no it’s not because his patience got tested by his 15 siblings, they are just really one big and happy and loving family.
Ted also said before the Vietnam game, Dan all asked them to pray, and they went to church but when they got to Na Nings to watch the game, The One up there must have been watching as they were seated next to a group of priests who were out relaxing after a convention.
They asked them to help pray, too.
So, how did Dan start his involvement in football?
Ted said that every time he goes home to Tacloban, he sponsors a football tournament just because he wants to see football matches and play in one when he goes home.
The rest, as the cliché goes, is history, and Dan no longer just sponsors local footie matches but a national team!
(www.cebufootball.blogspot.com)

Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on May 28, 2012.