Pinoy squad survives relegation in UK league

LONDON – Superior goal difference paid off in the end after the United Kingdom’s first amateur Filipino football team, the Philippine Football Club (PFC), narrowly survived relegation from Division One of the West Hertfordshire League.




The British Pinoys recently ended their 2011-2012 campaign in 10th place – just one spot above the drop zone.



After 22 matches, they picked up 20 points, recording five wins, five draws and 12 losses.



Glenn Sports shared an identical record, but finished below PFC in 11th place because of a 15-goal deficit. As a result, they were relegated to Division Two.



PFC’s players were relieved to avoid dropping out of the 12-team league.



“I think it’s a great achievement considering our circumstances. We’re a good enough team and shouldn’t have been in that position in the first place,” said full back Cliff Gay-ya.



“It was important for us to stay in this tier of the league for team morale,” he added.



In their fourth from final game of the season, PFC defeated Glenn Sports 2-0, courtesy of late goals from forwards Jason Arroyo and Raymond Tordecilla.



That victory released some pressure, but club secretary Jesse Arroyo admitted he was still concerned.



“Being in the relegation places in the last couple of matches was worrying. The team was not used to being in such a position. With this lack of familiarity, I would say we were quite naive,” commented Arroyo.



“We have learnt many lessons. We will use this as fuel for the following season,” he added.



Their poor showing this season has been attributed to a number of factors, including injuries, lack of team depth, not enough training and the changing of coaching personnel.



Most of PFC’s players also made a mid-season trip to the Philippines to play four friendlies in Bacolod. They feel the experience was valuable, but recognize that it may have compromised their league position.

More :
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/sports/05/30/12/pinoy-squad-survives-relegation-uk-league

British-Pinoy footballers playing friendlies in PH

by Edward Lao, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau

MANILA, Philippines -- Last Friday (October 21) a squad of British Pinoy footballers touched down on Philippine soil to begin a 4-game tour of exhibition games.

The select Philippine UK team, currently stationed in Bacolod, made the journey to train and test themselves against some of their Pinoy counterparts. The team has 20 players that come from cities such as Liverpool, Birmingham, Reading and London.

Scottish coach James Hall was in a confident mood before the team headed out.

“Fitness will be the main key and climate change will be difficult, but our football will win us through. We are looking forward to meeting these teams with excitement and giving them competitive games, making new friends, and being ambassadors from the UK”, Hall said.

A large contingent of the players were piped from the UK's first amateur Pinoy football side – PFC (Philippine Football Club). The team has been running since 2009 and currently competes in Division One of the West Hertfordshire League, just outside of London.

In an email to ABS-CBN Europe, Hall explained how he approached PFC a few months ago and offered them the chance to train and play a few tune up games before heading out to the Philippines.

PFC was created not only to give British-based Pinoys a chance to play together, but also to scout potential talent that could be considered for teams in the Philippines, or even the national team. Eager to realize a dream, the players accepted the opportunity.

Excitement
Less than a week before flying out, it was evident there was an air of excitement within the camp.

“Finally it's here. We've had a few ups and downs, a few chops and changes with our management and coaches, but the bottom line is, we're off to the Philippines. We've been presented with an opportunity so it's up to us to take it," said Midfielder Oliver Liyanage.

Goalkeeper Engelbert Cepillo said, “This is one of the major stepping stones for the team. Three years now together? This came up and we're just taking it as it is”.

Forward Raymond Tordecilla added, “Looking forward to it, but not sure about the weather, we're used to the English weather. I heard it's monsoon season there so it will be hard to adapt, especially if it's raining. It will be a hard test for us. I am sure they [the opposition teams] will be really fit but we'll show them a bit of English football, something a bit different”, Tordecilla said.

PH-UK vs Bacolod United
On Monday (October 24) the Philippine UK team played its first game of the tour against Bacolod United and cruised to a 5 – 0 victory. Despite this, some Philippine UK players were reportedly left battered and bruised by Bacolod's physical approach.

During their short visit, the British Pinoys are hoping to catch the eye of everyone, especially those within the PFF (Philippine Football Federation).

“It is a dream for any Filipino player to go to his homeland and impress the Azkal management. I am confident that the players with the good attitudes will in fact do this", coach Hall said.

The next game is on Thursday (October 27) against San Carlos City FC. Following that will be Sagay City on October 31, then finally Ceres FC on November 3.

ABS CBN News

First Pinoy football team in UK suffers setbacks

LONDON - While the Azkals are receiving recognition for their heroics in The Suzuki Cup, thousands of miles away, players from another Pinoy football team are quietly going about their business as they push for promotion without coaches.

Philippine Football Club (PFC), formerly known as Philippine United Football Club (PUFC), exceeded expectations and convincingly won promotion from Division Two in their maiden campaign last season. The UK's first Pinoy football team looked to build on their success in Division One of the West Hertfordshire League.

Although PFC is currently ranked fourth, indicating a steady progression, the team has had to overcome several set-backs. The unexpected happened. Within the space of three months, three keys figures left the club.

In August, just before the start of the season, Leo Jensen, founder of PUFC, walked away due to personal reasons. He started another team closer to his home in the city of Manchester and in doing so took the original name and emblem of the club with him. Six league games into the season, Head Coach Norman Parkin and Assistant Coach Steve Conroy then followed suit.

The 30th of October proved to be the final straw for the coaches. PFC was due to host league rivals Harpenden Rovers A at their home ground in Watford, just outside of London. Parkin arranged a team meeting to take place before the game to discuss several issues, however several squad members arrived late, which infuriated him.

The coaches departed before kick-off, heading north, home towards Sheffield, 128 miles (206 kilometers) away. The players were shocked and put in a disjointed first half performance, going in at the break trailing two nil. PFC's players managed to regroup during half-time and came out with all guns blazing for the second half. The match ended 4-2 to PFC.

The following day, Parkin sent an email to the team citing tardiness, the lack of solid financial backing and the high number of injured players as reasons for leaving. He even joked he was going to “reserve a private ward at Watford Hospital...lol” for the team.

Parkin and Conroy posted PFC's paperwork to the players shortly afterwards and have not been involved with the club since. Despite what happened, Parkin did say he wished the team well for the future and will continue to support the club by updating the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) in Manila of their progress.

At the time, the players understood why the coaches were angry, but they still felt the decision was rash and slightly unclear.

In the absence of coaches and a secretary, three players have taken the reins and are currently running the club: Vice Captain Renee Banao, Goalkeeper Keith Townsend and Clubman Jesse Arroyo.

More ABS CBN News

British-Pinoy shows he's got talent in football

LONDON - Jason Arroyo is a 20-year old with a passion for football and a need for speed. So, when he found out that Nike was holding a competition in search of UK's fastest players, he jumped at the chance.

The British Pinoy entered the London trial of the Nike Football+ Tear up the Pitch event on April 11, which was advertising the release of the new Mercurial Vapor Superfly II boots. He blitzed through the CR9 speed test, popularized by Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo.

Up against 60 other players, Arroyo completed the drill and ended up second fastest overall, after whizzing through a series of challenges aimed at testing reaction, dribbling skills and first-step acceleration.

The top five finishers were then selected to compete in a final showdown against teams from Birmingham and Manchester, where trials were also held.

Watched by Arsenal Football Club's Andrei Arshavin and Theo Walcott, the team from London triumphed in the final and won an all-expenses paid trip to Spain, where they will get to tear it up all over again at Barcelona's Nou Camp stadium.

This weekend, April 24-25, Jason and his team-mates will be touring the home of the European Champions, watching Barcelona's La Liga clash with Xerez. They will also take part in a Nike Football+ elite training session with Barcelona Head Coach Josep Guardiola.

The fleet-footed winger, who is also a key player for Philippine United Football Club (PUFC) in the UK, is eager to impress. He has shown that Filipinos also have the talent to mix it with the best in football.

“It makes me feel good and really proud”, Arroyo said.

Source : ABS-CBN news

England - Philippine United FC

Philippine United , a Football Club for filipinos in England.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zdjg61tahhQ&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ephilippineunitedfc%2Ecom%2Fnews%2Ehtml&feature=player_embedded#t=19

Philippine United FC

Philippine United FC , a football club for Filipinos in England ,played in Asian Cup in London last weekend .

Semifinals :

PUFC - Vietnam FC 1-2
China FC - Thai UK 4-1

third place : PUFC--Thai UK 4-0
Final : Vietnam FC - China FC 6-1

Defender and club captain Renee Banao won the award as PUFCs best player of the tournament.

http://www.philippineunitedfc.com/