SUMMARY
This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.
MANILA, Philippines – In the first stop of its nationwide search for promising footballers, the United Football League (UFL) picked 8 Cebuano youngsters who will join the Clear-Manchester United Football camp in April.
A total of 100 aspiring footballers from the Queen City of the South showcased their skills on Friday, March 21. UFL coaches and locally-based mentors picked the players according to agility, speed, dribbling, shooting, passing, heading, and shot-stopping.
The chosen 8 will be among the elite 32 who will get the rare opportunity to learn from coaches of the English Premiere League side.
The camp will be bannered by Manchester United icons Paul Scholes and Andy Cole, together with Clear Brand Ambassadors Phil and James Younghusband.
“This is a first time project for the UFL, and everybody is very excited,” UFL technical director Ritchie Gannaban said in a statement. “This is another development for the UFL after last year’s school tour. It’s a great opportunity to reach out and let young talents know that they are not going unnoticed.”
The Philippines’ de facto top tier league, which is based in Metro Manila, has been looking for ways to reach out to other parts of the country, especially in the football-crazy Visayas. Its partnership with Clear helps bridge UFL and the promising atheletes in the provinces.
UFL coaches Hans Smit and Lolong Valencia of Green Archers United, Alvin Ocampo of Pachanga, Gil Talavera of Loyola Meralco, Marjo Allado of Stallion, and Jayr Judal of Manila Jeepney flew in to Cebu to preside in the try-out.
The Cebu Football Association called on some of the best coaches in the province – Dennis Penalosa, Allan Medalla, and Tirso Ramon Roa – to help select the talents.
The field of 100 aspiring youngsters was narrowed down to the best 33 after coaches assessed their technical skills and fitness in the morning. The final 8 were then selected after the afternoon scrimmages.
The winners will be announced on Tuesday, March 25, on Clear Dream Match’s official website.
“We’re really grateful that the Cebu FA has been really helpful in selecting the top 100 players here in Cebu, and we’re really happy with the talent we’ve seen,” said Clear Brand manager Drew Capuyoc. “Hopefully, many of these Cebu aspirants will also get the chance to play in the Clear Dream Match 3.”
GAU’s technical director Smit was likewise impressed with the quality of Cebu’s youth players. He expressed his excitement for the kids to be trained by one of the most recognized clubs in the world.
“These players have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to train with a superpower in club football. It will be an incredible chance to progress and develop in a manner that only very few will experience here in the Philippines,” he said.
The UFL and Clear contingent will continue their search in Iloilo and Davao before flying back to Manila. – Rappler.com
Add a comment
How does this make you feel?
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.