Four Cebuano football players off to UK today

CEBU, Philippines - UK, here we come. Four Cebuano football players will leave for the United Kingdom today as part of the Philippine Under 11 delegation that will undergo an educational and training trip in Longborough, UK. The four prospects are Josh Rupert Asignar, Tristan Karl Enad, Yuan Josemari Reña, Charles Unabia.

The four were presented at a press conference and send-off along with members of the board of the Cebu Football Association, coaches of the CFA Under 11 team that took part in the tryouts/selection process and the parents of the players. All four are Grade 5 students at the Don Bosco Technology Center (DBTC).

“We are very proud of these boys. They made it after a series of tough tryouts and training camps. And Cebu has the biggest representation on this trip as an FA,” CFA’s Raffy Musni proudly said.

Included in the trip are lecture workshops, training and field trips. A highlight will be the opportunity to watch a World Cup qualifier and a Premier League match.

The trip is a partnership between the British Council and the Philippine Football Federation. All expenses will be shouldered by the British Council. This includes transportation, meals, accommodations, the academic/workshop/training camp fees and all travel necessities.

The delegation is composed of 22 players from across the country. The breakdown of players per region are eight  from the Visayas, five from Mindanao and eight from NCR/Luzon. They will be joined by Coach Dave Gerali of DBTC.

This will mark the first time that the CFA will send players abroad for training. The last time a Cebuano went to the UK was in 2000 when Josaphat Sacil of Carmen National High School earned a trip to the UK as a reward for being named MVP of an M. Lhuillier Under 14 tournament. He was accompanied by Coach Mario Ceniza then.

Among the CFA Board members at the send-off were Musni who served as the local organizing committee head for the CFA Elite U11 team, Nimrod Quiñones, Rodney Orale, General Secretary Joey Herrera and Vice President Rico Navarro.

“It’s only proper that Under 11 players are the target of trips like these. We’re preparing for the future and we have to work with the youth of today as we think long term. Their being chosen is a testament of how committed the CFA is towards the development of football,” Musni added.  (FREEMAN)