Cebu Football

(This is a report submitted by a reader---ML) The Don Bosco United FC led Team Cebu City team earned a semifinal slot in the futsal competition of the on-going Philippine National Games held at Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental. The Bosconians won 2 out of their 3 matches to gain access to the knockout stage against gold medal favorites Philippine National Futsal Team of NCR on Friday.  DBUFC-TCC won it's first game against Zamboangita FC from Zamboangita, Negros Oriental 13-1 with goals coming from Jan Joseph Genson (3), Noel Villagonzalo (2), Warlo Sabella (2), Avelson Arizabal (2), Mark Atillo (2) and Jonathan Caballero (2).

(This is the draft of my Fair Play column for Sun.Star Cebu on May 31) After that riveting, and often times comical show that had the country divided along political colors, it’s time, as them honorables said, “to unite as one country.” And what better way after the if-you’re-not-yellow-then-you're-anti-Coronanovela, than to cheer for the good ol’ red-blue-and-yellow when our country’s best face others?

THERE are so many things happening in football these days, but not enough gets space in traditional media, due to space constraints and some other factors. But some areas have it worse, they don’t have any community paper that can help promote the game or their activities like the Leyte Football Association. “So start a blog,” I told Ted Palami, the brother of Dan.

(This is the draft of my Fair Play column for Sun.Star Cebu on May 26) SO, are you ready for the home match against Indonesia?  I know some friends from Cebu are counting the days when they will return to the Rizal Memorial Stadium to cheer on the national team again, and so too, it seems the national team management. Aside from finally having that home game we never got to have in the 2010 Suzuki Cup, we are going to have one of the best lineups for quite some time.  A dream team if you will.

(This is part of my series of tips for aspiring football writers out there who want to start their own blogs, or even, aspire to become a sportswriter.  Don't be afraid, this is how I started.  I don't have a mass com or even journalism degree.  My only journalistic training were the ones I had in elementary and high school) Style here doesn’t refer to the way you form your stories but is a set of guidelines that helps give your story a consistent look. Some of the rules are used by journalists, and, you could adopt them but there are some rules that could be bent. Numbers .Spell out one to nine as well as first, second….ninth but not for 10, 11 or 10th, 11th.  The exemption is for scores, as it should be 4-0, not four-zero.

(This is part of my series of tips for aspiring football writers out there who want to start their own blogs, or even, aspire to become a sportswriter.  Don't be afraid, this is how I started.  I don't have a mass com or even journalism degree.  My only journalistic training were the ones I had in elementary and high school) IF you want to write a match report, you have to have the data needed to write one.  And there are two things you can get the data, by interviewing (if you didn’t get to watch the game) or by note taking. How do you take notes? Each writer has a different style and it’s a matter of using what works for you.  The simplest way is to divide your notebook into two columns, and put the names of both squads in the header.  

(This is the draft of my Fair Play column for Sun.Star Cebu on May 24) A ONCE promising stint of a player--touted to be our next great hope who would carry the banner when the current stars retire—with the national team has been derailed. After a start that earned him accolades, he’s on the outside looking in, and if what I was told was true, his attitude has ruined his chances of playing for the flag.

If you run a blog for your local FA (unofficial or not) there are a lot of stuff you can use for material.  If your FA or team is joining a tournament, you can put up updates of their games, or even announcement of tryouts, team lineups or meetings. Always remember to include all the details if you come out with announcements for tryouts, meetings or even tournaments so your audience (players, fans) will know where to go.

(Starting today, I'm going to start a series of tips for aspiring football writers out there who want to start their own blogs, or even, aspire to become a sportswriter.  Don't be afraid, this is how I started.  I don't have a mass com or even journalism degree.  My only journalistic training were the ones I had in elementary and high school) There are a lot of football blogs out there, but unfortunately, there are not that many original content as most blogs just re-publish what gets posted in traditional media, and I think, doing that basically defeats the purpose of having a blog. So, I’m coming up with a brief tutorial on how fans can start their own blog, and this, I think, would be a bit helpful too for FAs in areas that do not have a community paper which could print local football-related content.

(This is the draft of my Fair Play column for Sun.Star Cebu on May 21) I once had a blog named “Drunk Ranting” and boy, was that blog something.   That was before I started my footie blog seven years ago and when I started this www.cebufootball.blogspot (almost to the day), I thought, I’ll just limit this to, footie stories that see print and some other things that don’t. 

SO Phil and James Younghusband are going to miss the June 1 friendly against Malaysia because of “prior commitments.” Now that’s interesting. The calendar for the friendlies was released months ago, and even I know that the Philippines was going to have a series of friendlies in June and unless the “prior commitment” was signed before the dates for the friendlies was announced, then that’s understandable.

WHEN the lineup for one of the national teams was released, a few questions were raised, why is Mr. So and So not in the squad? Well, here’s news for you brother. He’s not good enough? It may be weird to some why players who made the U21 are no longer in the U22, or those good enough for the U23, are no longer in the U22, but sometimes, the reason is obvious.

I’VE covered the CAFC Men’s Interclub since 2001, and I’ve had lots of good memories in the tournament, including a drunken episode when the loser turned out to be the winner in my story. But one thing I always remember in the men’s open of the event is that despite the prize money offered—and the Interclub is the only tournament I know that offers one—the tournament rarely attract a field big enough for two groups.

I READ a rather interesting article in the national paper the other day, about the much-hyped NCR squad in the Palarong Pambansa, which eventually won the high school gold. I have nothing against NCR, especially its team manager Vince Santos, but reading something like “NCR is expected to go for gold against Central Visayas, the defending champion but the underdog here, early today,” sure left a bad taste in my mouth.

LIKE I said in a previous post (click here) , the PFF made the villain, former U23 captain Matthew Hartmann, the victim by barring him from being able to work in the United Football League for an infraction involving the national team. I can understand the anger against Hartmann’s act, abandoning the national team in the Southeast Asian Games and I guess a lifetime ban from playing for the flag was a justified reaction from the PFF. But a ban, too, in club football action?

HOW hard is it to follow simple instructions?  Apparently, for a few users of the Cebu City Sports Center, it’s pretty darn hard. The first rule—which is posted in numerous notices around the oval and even before you get there—says lanes 1 and 2 are not to be used.

AFTER spending some P40 million for the new track at the Cebu City Sports Center, manager Ricky Ballesteros is asking for a little help from the public to help maintain the facility. And, one of the new rules Ricky wants implemented is to bar anyone—athletes, joggers, students—from using lanes 1 and 2 as Ricky wants the two preserved for competitions.