[DETOURS] Leading a women’s football team from my computer

Editor’s note: Some would say that football is a man’s sport. But for J-ann, it’s a woman’s world, too. They are as strong, as good, and as persevering even if they have to do so from home, away from the field. Get to know her story. You, too, can share your life’s greatest detours. Here’s how.

I never dreamed of being a captain of a football team. I actually dislike leading groups because I thought I couldn’t handle people whose personalities and mindsets are different from mine. I also consider myself an introvert, so it would be really hard to communicate when I am actually quite anti-social. Moreover, when the pandemic happened, I didn’t even see the sense of continuing the activities of a football team when everyone was just inside their homes, trying to focus on their academics. 

However, my coaches and teammates persuaded me to step up, urging me to get out of my comfort zone and try leading a team. 

My mom isn’t really in favor of this decision. The moment she knew that I was elected as the captain of the team, she asked if maybe I could refuse. She doesn’t want me to join any sport, a football team most especially, because it’s an aggressive sport. I’ve gotten multiple sprains, scratches, wounds, and bruises from playing. She also believes that this kind of sport is only for men. 

I couldn’t blame her as this sport is famed by international male football players like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and of course our local footballers like the Younghusband brothers of the Philippine National Football Team, Azkals. 

As a mom who just wanted to keep her daughter away from injuries and from being burned while training under the scorching sun, she also just wanted me to focus on my studies. 

Nevertheless, I assured her that I would be fine especially since I would be just at home. So, the question is, how would I be able to lead a football team when I couldn’t even gather my teammates together in person? 

The UPLB Women’s Football Team has been around since the 1980s. There had been previous captains, but I guess I’ll be the first one to lead online. When I joined the team during my freshman year, I realized that there was no proper set of rules on how the team operates. It’s merely a varsity who trains and competes for the annual official tournament, STRASUC. However, my passion for playing and improving my own skills has subconsciously affected my passion for helping the team improve. 

Now that I am in my junior year and a captain of this team, I have established its constitution and bylaws. I have also started organizing the officers so that the tasks would be properly delegated, with everyone leading their own thing. 

I’m aware that football has always been known as a man’s sport. So, part of my mission is to promote women in football, I want to show the world that women can also play and stand out even in male-dominated sports. But because of this pandemic, how could we promote our team if we’re not on the playing field?

The team decided to take on different kinds of fields. If we can’t be on the playing field right now, then let’s use whatever platform we have to still put our name out there. We started partnering with different organizations, made our Facebook and Twitter pages active, and set up an Instagram profile. Moreover, we also scouted for sponsorships to raise funds so once we’re back on the field, we would have enough money to support the team’s needs.

And of course, despite having an online setup, training shouldn’t stop. Last semester, we continued our training by doing synchronous meetings biweekly thru Zoom. Our coach would still guide us all through-out. We would have our ball drills, core exercises, and other physical exercises to keep our bodies healthy and fit. 

We believe and hope that soon enough we would be out on the field again and our bodies would be ready for much more intense training. 

You may wonder why I persevere when varsities are just known for training and competing in tournaments. Why do I have to establish a constitution and bylaws? Why do we need to partner with academic or socio-civic organizations? And why do we need to continue our training when we don’t even know when we’ll be able to play? 

The thing is, everything is already hurdling downfield, and my task is to focus on that ball of hope coming at me. And no matter what others say, I have to hold on to it so that we’ll be able to score again.

The pandemic may have caused us a lot of stress and pulled us back from reaching our goals. However, it shouldn’t be a reason for us to stop. Against all odds, we must stay focused, move forward, and get that goal. – Rappler.com

J-ann Coladilla is a 3rd year BS Development Communication student at the University of the Philippines Los-Baños (UPLB). She’s currently the Captain of the UPLB Women’s Football Team. She likes sports, adventures, and media production. She lives in Lucban, Quezon.