Despite being located at the outskirts of metro manila, the Bulacan Highlanders Football Club is just one of the few football clubs in the province of Bulacan whose passion for the sport cannot be matched by anyone and their ambitions couldn’t be any higher.
Just 30 to 45 minutes away from Quezon City, the EMA Town Center serves as the current home pitch of the Highlanders FC where they hold their weekly training sessions. Though the pitch is not a regular-sized one, it can actually hold a usual 7-a-side or 9-a-side scrimmages as well as tournaments.
Though finding a home pitch in the Philippines could be difficult especially when you’re situated between the metro and the province, the Highlanders got a big boost from one of their major sponsors. We spoke with Mr. Edgar Mejia, the manager of the Bulacan Highlanders FC to see how they started and what road they intend to take.
“Bulacan Highlanders FC started to be known eight years ago as Marilao Highlanders FC. Simple objective was to promote football among kids in our barangay. We cleared a portion of a lot inside our subdivision and constructed a wooden goal. We let the kids to enjoy the game, nothing competitive. Then, we saw an opportunity to conduct different tournaments as a litmus test. The tournaments were successful and we created interest in football,” said by Mr. Mejia about the humble beginnings of the club.
“Our goal then shifted from introducing the game to build what is now known as Bulacan Highlanders FC. Our break came in when EMA Town Center provided the sponsorship for the pitch. Now our goal is to be competitive and at the same time, to continuously introduce the game through our grassroots development,” he continued regarding the vision of the club.
I personally joined the club late 2017 and saw how big the vision of the club is. Not only do they want to make a name for themselves, but they’d also want to leave a legacy for the kids interested to play the beautiful game. They’ve given me a chance to teach football to the kids through the Highlanders Football Academy.
Not only do they shape the future players of the sport in the country, they’ve also opened a door towards equality as they also have a their women’s team consisting of passionate women who, not only loves to watch the games because of their idols but also replicates them whenever they step into the pitch. They make it a point as well that they are no pushovers during the scrimmages as they come rampaging for the ball.
However, every journey in the sport, especially here in the country, faces a hurdle of their own. ” The current situation is that we lack regular sponsors (aside from EMA). We rely mostly on parents, friends, and the local government. We have the talents but we need to create opportunities for them to showcase their talents in various tournaments,” said by Mr. Mejia regarding the current situation of the squad.
Despite the challenges they face, the club continues to do what they need to for them to be noticed. Recently, the club sent their representatives to Mindoro to play in the 11th Adriatico Cup and finished as 1st runners-up.
And lastly, the Bulacan Highlanders Football Club, not only focuses on playing the beautiful game but also finds some time for fun whenever they can during their training sessions. As a matter of fact, they also made their attempt on the viral “Switch It Up Challenge” during one of their training days.
With sheer excitement amongst the players and the management, they can’t wait to get their hands to their new kit designed by one of their own players, Harold Ramos. Braving a bright sky blue fading to black design, they hope to captivate the eyes of their opppnents and run past them to score some goals.
Photos and video credits by: Bulacan Highlanders Football Club Facebook page.
