National football body okays P105-M budget

THE last Philippine Football Federation (PFF) Board of Governors (BOG) meeting held at the Quest Hotel yesterday afternoon ended with the approval of P105 million for next year’s budget which is P5 million more than this year’s budget.

PFF president Mariano “Nonong” Araneta said this will fund programs such as coaches seminars, referees courses and other development programs to further sustain football in the country. The budget may increase depending on the sponsors.

The budget, however, does not yet include funding for the Center for Football Excellence (CFE), which they plan to put up in five or six qualified provincial football associations (PFAs).

The CFE, wherein the players for the national junior teams will be picked, is one of PFF’s grassroots programs.

Araneta said that the PFF grassroots programs started this year such as the Kasibulan Football Grassroots Development Program will also be continued next year.

The numbers may not say it but the PFF has achieved its goal of introducing football to the rest of the Philippines via the Kasibulan program.

PFF technical director Aris Caslib said that only 70 percent of the targeted Grassroots Course Festival (GCF) was completed this year, which produced only 48 percent of targeted number of players and 68 percent of targeted number of grassroots coaches in the country.

Caslib said this is because some of the GCF were done before the signing of the agreement between PFF and the Department of Education (DepEd), climatic conditions, the failure of the grassroots development officer to coordinate with DepEd and the absence of qualified coaches.

However, Caslib said they have already identified points for improvement for the program which is one of the talent identifications of the PFF under its 2019 program wherein the product of the PFF grassroots will be playing in the world championships.

He said they will have to work again with the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) grassroots instructors. /CORRESPONDENT MARS G. ALISON