THE U14 team from the Philippines, represented by players of the youth teams of Global Football Club and Laos FC, bagged third place in its age-group at this year’s Borneo Football Cup, a tournament organized by the Football Association of Malaysia, through its member Sabah Football Association.
The team defeated SM All Saints of Malaysia, 2-0, drew with Garuda Bankinang Satu and lost to Tabs, 1-0 and 2-1. With the better quotient, they ended up Top 2 in their group and eventually clinched third spot with a win over the All Saints.
The matches for the division were held from Sept. 21 to 23 at the Penampang Stadium in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, East Malaysia.
It was the highest-ever finish by any Philippine team in the said tournament, where the Filipinos have been regular participants since 2013.
Members of the PRU-LIFE UK-backed winning squad included discoveries from grassroots development football programs such as Jill Pillora of Iloilo, Nicolai Abalos of Laguna, Josh Asignar and Tristan Enad of Cebu and Drexler Valencia of Dumaguete.
The players were scouted in their hometowns in 2013 and brought to the UK for elite training by the British Council and Pru Life UK.
The team also included Gregory Tacondong, who was a standout at the Football for a Better Life event held early this year in Gingoog, Misamis Oriental.
Alfredo Ray Estacion and Richard Jay Alipar served as coaches of the delegation, which was also supported by Spears FC and Azkals Foundation.
The boys’ participation at the 2016 Borneo Football Cup was sanctioned by the Philippine Football Federation.
“The PFF Affiliate clubs, Global FC and Laos FC have been joining the Borneo Cup for two years to date. The teams these local clubs send are not national teams, although they may have players who are in the national pool,” said PFF General Secretary Edwin Gastanes in a message posted on the PFF website on Sept. 22.
“The PFF’s authorization for these youth clubs to compete at the international setting is in line with its objective to train and expose Filipino youth players to further their development in football,” he added.