The Grassroots Program presentation of Cebuano Richard Montayre was welcomed by representatives of the various Football Associations yesterday at the Orchid Garden Suites in Metro Manila.
PFF’s next thrust would be to implement a fully functioning grassroots program among all 33 FAs under the PFF.
Montayre, who heads the grassroots and youth development committee of the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) and also the president of the Cebu Football Association (CFA), underscored a partnership between the FAs, Department of Education (DepEd) and Local Government Units (LGUs) in introducing football at the grassroots level and creating youth teams in the barangay level.
He also emphasized the importance of developing grassroots coaching methods in the provincial FAs for the purpose of developing elite players in each provincial association. They will eventually form elite teams via the Center for Excellence (CFE) program and then be seeing action in grassroots and youth competitions in the local, regional and national level.
Through these competitions, talents will be identified to make up national youth teams that will be placed under a continuous program and eventually advance into the senior men’s team or become an Azkal.
This grassroots program will also be integrated with that of Japan and Germany, who are both willing to help the PFF implement a solid grassroots program.
Germany is willing to provide financial and technical aid while Japan wants to help in the organization of football festivals.
The grassroots and youth committee would create the programs for the federation and its provincial associations and PFF would provide them with the supplies and compensation for manpower provided that they comply with membership and technical requirements and work with the LGU and the DepEd.
The technical requirements would be more on the coaches’ and referees licenses as their development should coincide with that of the grassroots.
PFF said it would provide the necessary seminars for the development of coaches and referees for any FA which will seek aid.
Some FA presidents expressed doubts about striking up a partnership with the DepEd.
But Montayre gave as an example the membership of DepEd Central Visayas regional director Recaredo Borgonia in the CFA board.
He said that the partnership does not have to be with the regional director. Anyone from DepEd will do as long as he would be able to make his colleagues understand why they need to coordinate with the FAs in promoting football.
Montayre used as basis the programs that CFA has implemented in Cebu such as going around towns to train coaches.
PFF president Mariano “Nonong” Araneta said the grassroots program is a step in the right direction.
“We hope to be able to implement the grassroots by the next schoolyear,” said Araneta.
Mike Batiles of the Cagayan de Oro FA said that the program was basically appropriate and suitable to the local situation.