This post was recovered from an article posted on  2013-04-24 03:31:59 

Setting the Roadmap for the Football Industry – The First of a Series of Round Table Discussions on Football

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“Paraphrasing the slogan of FC Barcelona . . . ‘Mas de un club’ . . . football is more than a sport for us.” This was the statement made by Dr. Bernardo Villegas in his Welcome Remarks at the Round Table Discussion on Setting the Roadmap for the Football Industry, organized by the Center for Research and Communication on April 10, 2013, at the Telengtan Hall of University of Asia and the Pacific. Dr. Villegas highlighted football as an excellent means of inculcating virtues and values, and the need to provide greater access to the sport, especially for the less privileged. These were some of the themes explored in this first of a series of round table discussions on football, sponsored by Bootcamp Football Shop, the Henry V. Moran Foundation, and the office of Senator Antonio Trillanes IV.

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Various stakeholders of football were represented such as the Alabang Football School, Alaska Milk Corporation, Brent International School, De La Salle University–Dasmariñas, Futbol Funatics, Futbol Hijos Pilipinas, Makati Football Club, Philippine Football Federation (PFF), Philippine Military Academy, Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), Strike & Spice Football Club, Team Socceroo, United Football League, and the Weekend Futbol League. Special guests included Ambassador Roberto L. Mayorga of Chile, Ambassador George Ney De Souza Fernandes of Brazil, and Education Advisor Jose Fernando Zapico of the Embassy of Spain. UA&P was represented by faculty of the Physical Education Department and members of the varsity Futsal team.

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The discussions gave participants various perspectives on football, such as the development of the sport in the country since its official inception in 1907, the structure of the sport from FIFA to local clubs, the growth of family clubs, and football in youth development initiatives. Other ideas with future potential included harmonizing football in the K-12 curriculum with a scientific model for training youth athletes, and how different elements of the sport can be combined into a value-creating industry. The round table discussion ended with proposals to expand football initiatives in economically depressed areas of the country.# Read more about the event at PhilStar website >>