My field of broken dreams
I got home.
I saw the field in school, where we used to play, and the field in my place where we learned the game.
They were unused.
Nobody played.
I passed by our school and I remembered, once in my second year, everybody thought we will be the first Mindanao team to win the national Coke title.
I passed by the field in my subdivision and I remembered how it was packed during the weekends.
It's sad really, to note, how a once promising place could sink so low.
Adjancent to our field was a basketball court and a tennis court. Back then, all three places were always packed. The people who play football, would disperse to play basketball, while some would go on to play tennis.
That is the advantage in our place, we can play all sports.
Heck, I'm even willing to bet against the best football team in Cebu, Hiroshi? Crazy Horse? Don Bosco? Name it.
I bet in a one-day series of a game of football, tennis, baseball, basketball, volleyball and table tennis, we'd whip your ass. No doubt about that.
You may beat us in football, but the same guys cant beat us in all the other sports. That's how good and diverse sports was in our hometown.
Now, nobody plays. And, sadly, as what the old folks back home say, the kids are preoccupied with things not prescribed by law.
What a waste.
Polomolok has, at last count, has six football fields.
Yet, the Don Bosco FC outnumbers the football population back home.
I saw the field in school, where we used to play, and the field in my place where we learned the game.
They were unused.
Nobody played.
I passed by our school and I remembered, once in my second year, everybody thought we will be the first Mindanao team to win the national Coke title.
I passed by the field in my subdivision and I remembered how it was packed during the weekends.
It's sad really, to note, how a once promising place could sink so low.
Adjancent to our field was a basketball court and a tennis court. Back then, all three places were always packed. The people who play football, would disperse to play basketball, while some would go on to play tennis.
That is the advantage in our place, we can play all sports.
Heck, I'm even willing to bet against the best football team in Cebu, Hiroshi? Crazy Horse? Don Bosco? Name it.
I bet in a one-day series of a game of football, tennis, baseball, basketball, volleyball and table tennis, we'd whip your ass. No doubt about that.
You may beat us in football, but the same guys cant beat us in all the other sports. That's how good and diverse sports was in our hometown.
Now, nobody plays. And, sadly, as what the old folks back home say, the kids are preoccupied with things not prescribed by law.
What a waste.
Polomolok has, at last count, has six football fields.
Yet, the Don Bosco FC outnumbers the football population back home.
Comments
polomolok is about 15 to 20 minutes away from gen san, the most prominent field is that of san lorenzo ruiz academy, cause its still maintained by the school, the rest, you'd have a hardtime recognizing it as a footbal field
travel up north and you will see football fields in public elementary schools in Bogo, Bantayan and San Remegio, again with nobody using it. i once talked with owners of Kukuk's Nest and other expatriates in Moalboal and they are wondering why we have fields, we have potential, yet nobody is promoting football in the provinces. Expats play 7 a side regularly in Moalboal at a field in front of the parish church and sometimes the kids play along with them but nobody is really taking charge. 2-3 years from now, they will be playing basketball or other sports and football will be a long-gone memory for them. another wasted opportunity.
Cebufootball has been hyped as very popular. the CebuFA has claimed that their priority is to promote football. guys, look beyond the urban areas and try to feel the presence of football there - NADA. again, it's ironic that public fields are available, yet nobody is taking advantage of them. while here in the cities, failure to implement a decent football program is always blamed on the lack of playing fields.
sure as hell stinks.
i asked the coach how football got a toehold on their area. he said that he just started kicking and shooting at the field and pretty soon kids were regularly doing it with him. expats at nearby resorts would drop-by and kids would see small sided games and get interested.
during the last CVIRAA, these kids played using old rubber slippers as shin guards and spikes that were fresh from the ukay-ukay yet they played with determination and passion. it would have been a perfect example to showcase Cebuano grassroots football yet CebuFA wasn't there to witness it. sure, one of the board members went to Tagbilaran but only to see his son play in the secondary level. the cebu province team i guess doesn't deserve any of the CebuFA's time.
a lot of football things doesn't seem to deserve CebuFA's time.
a lot of things sure as hell stinks.