FUTURE Azkals players look intent at chasing the ball during the 12th Monfort Football Cup at Iloilo Sports Complex on March 9. Edwin Laruan/Contributor
Seven-year-old Sebastien “Bas” Christopher Monfort loves football.
His request for a simple football tournament in Dumangas town in Iloilo turned out to be the answer to the prayers of about 1,000 other football-loving youngsters in Iloilo province.
A foundation run by his family has decided to revive its grassroots football development program after 10 years of hiatus. And with the move, Carmen Teresita Monfort, chair of the Monfort Foundation Inc., said her group didn’t only grant her grandson’s wish but also aimed to bring back the Ilonggos’ love for football.
“We … hope that football will be recognized again. There are a lot of great football players in Iloilo. We need to train them while they are young,” she said.
The Monfort Cup was instrumental in the discovery of Azkals members from Iloilo, like Chieffy Caligdong and Ian Araneta.
The competition was started in 1992 by the late Rep. Narciso Monfort of Iloilo’s fourth district to honor his father, Jose Monfort, and his uncle, Dr. Roque Monfort, who were members of the national football team during their time.
Roque, a member of the Philippine Olympic team, was named in the Roll of International Honor for Outstanding Players who played and reaped international honors for the Philippines in the Far East, Interport and Asian Games, according to the Monfort Cup website (https://sites.google.com/site/monfortcup/home).
Jose was a member of the Philippine national team for the Far East Games, it added.
The first Monfort Cup was held on June 6-12, 1992, and participated in by the top football clubs in the country—the Philippine Army, Philippine Air Force and Philippine Navy, as well as Barotac Nuevo.
From a simple friendly competition, the program is being staged for the 12th year, expanding to and attracting teams from the Visayas and even Luzon.
On March 9, about 1,000 youngsters aged 6 to 16 years gathered at the Iloilo Sports Complex in La Paz District in lloilo City to participate in the 12th Monfort Cup 2013. They belonged to 92 teams from 23 elementary and high schools in Iloilo and Negros Occidental, which played in various categories.
Their uniforms—from colorful and newly knitted jerseys and new shoes to faded outfits—reveal their socioeconomic class. But regardless of where they came from, the children had one aspiration: to be a football star.
Bas has dreamt of playing in the league of David Beckham, who just retired from the French team Paris-Saint Germaine. The child also hopes to meet another idol, Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona.
To Francis Adrian Botavara, 8, team captain of Tamasak Football Club from Barotac Nuevo for the Under 10 category, playing football inspires him to wake up early even during weekends.
Instead of playing cards with children his age, Francis chooses to practice with his teammates, even when the Barotac football field is muddy, so he can perfect his new stunt.
His dedication paid off when Francis scored two of his team’s four goals in their first game at the 12th Monfort Cup.
Gov. Arthur Defensor said the provincial government has allocated P15 million for the rehabilitation and upgrade of the football field at Iloilo Sports Complex.
“I want to make Iloilo a center of football in Western Visayas and eventually the football capital of the Philippines. But we can’t make this if we won’t convert our football field to attain international standard,” Defensor said.
He said P8 million of the budget would be used to install special lights for night tournaments, while P7 million would be for another facility and grass improvement.
Rehabilitation of the football field would start this year, Defensor said. Once completed, he would invite international football teams to visit Iloilo.