Pinay In Action Kicks Off CMORFA’s Futsal Program

PIA FUTSAL. COACHES AND ORGANIZERS POSE FOR POSTERITY DURING THE DRAWING OF LOTS FOR THE GROUPINGS IN THE PIA/CDO FUTSAL INVITATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP.

THE Pinay In Action/CDO Futsal Invitational Championships is just one of the many good things to come for Futsal development here in Cagayan de Oro City.

The PIA Futsal tournament for girls will kick off today at the Bulua National High School gym and the Pagatpat Elementary School covered court.

“This is just the beginning for our Futsal program. In October we will kickoff a city-wide Futsal league not only for girls but also for boys,’’ said Cagayan de Oro Misamis Oriental Regional FA (CMORFA) president Percy Guarin.

He added that the league will be held at the different covered courts all over the city which have now been developed into Futsal venues.

Bulua National High School gym, the main venue of the PIA/CD Futsal Invitational Championships, has been developed with the help of CMORFA to become one of the main venues of Futsal in the city.

“Right now we are helping refurbish Pagatpat Elementary School covered court to become a standard Futsal venue,’’ Guarin added.

With the help of local government, there are hundreds more gymnasiums all over the City of Friendship which can be developed and be used to train local kids to play Futsal according to Guarin.

He also added that they are now working out and helping the Department of Education (DepEd) CdO Division to include Futsal in the elementary Physical Education curriculum.

Guarin is an executive member of the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) Futsal Department headed by the youthful Kevin Goco.

Goco is spearheading the development of Futsal in the country after the shameful performances of the Philippine National Futsal team in international competitions last year.

He initiated the Allianz-PNB Futsal championships early this year. The Allianz-PNB tournament is the biggest Futsal development program the PFF has under taken so far. 

Thousands of boys and girls Futsal players from all over the country competed in various regional eliminations. The winners in the regionals then competed in the National Championships held in De La Salle Greenhills gym in Metro Manila.

Meanwhile, more than 30 teams from Visayas and Mindanao led by Sacred Heart School/Ateneo de Cebu will start the PIA Futsal Championships today at Bulua and Pagatpat. Matches will start at 7 a.m.

Participating teams in the Girls 17 category are Group A (PAGATPAT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL GYM) Iligan City FC, Red Corals FC-Baliwasan, Lumbai Raptors FC, Laguindingan HS, FC Baroy

Bulua HS Covered Court Sept. 8, 2018, Group B SHS/Ateneo Cebu, Bulua A, SMA-A, Damas Stonefiel FC A, Sasha FC, GROUP C, Rosevale School, SMS, Bulua B, Supladas-Stone FC B.

In the Women’s Open, teams joining are Group A (Pagatpat Elementary School covered court) Iligan City FC, Lumbia Raptors FC, FC Baroy, UST-P, Corpus Christi.

Teams competing at the Bulua High School covered court are Group B, SMA, Go Romee FC, Supladas-Stonefield FC B, Higala FC, and XUHS.

In Group C teams competing are Rosevale School, Damas-Stonefield FC A, Bulua Strikers FC, Sacred Heart School/ Ateneo De Cebu, and XU Law.

The tournament is also supported by the Bulua Council, the Philippine Football Federation and CMORFA.

Sponsors are Troy Limbo, and the football playing brothers JB Borlongan and Jethro Borlonga. (l.biantan@gmail.com)