Meet Joanne

WHEN 22-year-old Joanne Lardizabal Ignacio started playing football, on the prodding of a PE instructor at UP Manila in early 2001, someone told her to pick up another sport, saying she was “too lampa to be good at the game.”

Fast forward a few years later, Ignacio, who has a BA Broadcast Communication (cum laude mind you) degree at UP Diliman, got her sweetest revenge, the obnoxious futbolero had to give her the trophy for winning the MVP award in a tournament.

Still, success didn’t come easy for Ignacio, as once in a football game, the ref stopped her – pointing to her watch.

“I guess I wasn't paying enough attention - I thought he was asking for the time! So I told him what time it was, and then everyone started laughing! Turns out he was telling me to take my watch off before he resumed the game,” she said.


At 5-foot-4, Ignacio played all positions in the game except tending the goal – the changes due to her fast improvements in the game (for those who ever entertained such position-intellect theories, here is your proof)

She started as a defender (dumb ones they all are, ey?) “then I became a sweeper when my long balls improved” (kick, aim later) but “when my long balls improved (she could now aim at someone) I became a midfielder.

Best part. “Then right midfielder when I could dribble a bit. I now play center forward or right wing”, depending on the composition of the team. (Of course, every one on a football team knows that the strikers are the prima donnas of the team)

After finishing her degree at UP last April 2005 (why do they always hold their graduations on April?), she now plays once or twice a week, but makes sure to juggle for an hour every day, aside from her daily weight routine.

“To add power to my shots,” Ignacio says.

Pity the poor keeper who stands between her and the goal.

Aside from the football jaunts in crowded Metro Manila, she has been to Laguna for the Labay Cup and Dumaguete for the University games but added: “I went there train with/support my UP Dil teammates, I didn't play in the actual tournament.”

Right now, Ignacio is on the verge of getting a hosting job at Game Plan, something we futboleros and junkies out there have been wanting for a long time – someone who knows, love, and play the game – to replace those pretty-faces-but-don’t-know-a-thing-about-sports.

Football, could get its much needed mileage when she gets the job, so, let's help a fellow football fan.

She needs our help, vote for her, here’s how:text (left bracket) GP REACT JOANNE (right bracket) to 2331 for globe/sun and 231 for smart/talkntext/addict mobile =)

people for more details on how to vote for joane click the link below.It seems the template doesnt allow the use of the bracket symbol...hence the words above

http://www.philfootball.info/forum/index.php?a=topic&t=344