As early as seven in the morning, kids from all ages flocked the Don Bosco Soccer Field in Tondo, Manila for their weekend session of the Tondo FC’s Football Clinic and right from there, you can already say that football is truly alive in this part of the metro.
The football clinic conducted by the players of Tondo Football Club kicked off last April 22 at the said field and since then, they were able to bring it a lot of kids to learn the basics of playing football. From the little ones to the grown-up teens, everyone seems to have a smile on their faces whenever they have the ball.
The city might be congested and specifically, in Tondo, due to the stigma set into this part of Manila, it can be considered a bit rowdy. However, despite the quality of the pitch they are training in, they still get to find serenity and happiness whenever they walk into the field with the ball on their feet.
“Nag-uunite yung mga bata, nagkakaroon sila ng bagong friends and it’s the message of football. Football is for the masses. Eto sila ngayon, mga bata na hindi kaya mag-enroll sa mga big clubs pero nabibigyan ng opportunity,” said by coach Mark Dennis Balbin who also plays in the Philam Life 7’s football league and one the well-known freestylers in the country.
From basic movements to ball control, every fundamental that a player needs to learn before going into the big leagues were taught in this program which runs for 10 sessions in about two weeks. They came up with the idea of bringing the game closer to the kids in their neighbourhood without having to shell out loads of money for the program.
Not only this is a program that can help the kids learn the beautiful game, but it also fulfills the dream of each and every player of Tondo FC. ” Growing up as a football player, eto yung one of the dreams natin, to spread the love of football, to find more talents, to see the kids enjoy the beautiful game, gusto nating ipasa sa kanila,” said by Balbin.
He followed up by saying, “Tondo Football Club is open doors for those players who wants to learn football. It’s for you, it’s for the masses, para ma-experience niyo yung na-experience namin when we were young. We’re here to help you, to teach you and hopefully, in the long run, football will also help you find scholarships.”
Truly, the movement of each and every entity here in the Philippines goes to show that we don’t want to stop where we are right now. We want to continue what has been ignited by the “Miracle in Hanoi” back in 2010 and thanks to these people, we’re still heading where we need to be.
Photo credits to: Tondo Futbol Club
