Ambassadors Cup kicks off, MOU signed

This post was recovered from an article dated 2014-03-11 04:09:21

Ambassadors Cup kicks off, MOU signed

Mariano Araneta Jr., Dr. Bernardo Villegas, Dr. Jose Maria Mariano, and participating children kick off the Ambassadors Cup 2014. Photo by UA&P Media Management Committee.[/caption]

With the signing of the memorandum of understanding between the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) and the University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P), the beautiful game might just have truly gained momentum in the Metro. Aimed to harness the power of football in uniting persons, communities, and countries, the 2014 Ambassadors Cup Grassroots Football Project was launched at UA&P on February 28, 2014 by organizers UA&P, The Henry V. Moran Foundation, and Team Socceroo Football Club. The Cup partners Embassies with children from underprivileged communities in Metro Manila through a summer football training program, where the children learn not only to play football well but also to grow in virtues, values, and solidarity among themselves and their partner embassy. Present at the launch were Ambassador Roberto Mayorga of the Embassy of Chile; Ambassador Ndateni Agnes Nyamande-Pitso of the Embassy of South Africa; Ambassador Akinyemi Farounbi of the Embassy of Nigeria; Ambassador George Ney de Souza Fernandes of the Embassy of Brazil; Ambassador Lee Hyuk of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea; Ambassador Juvencio de Jesus Martins of the Embassy of Timor Leste; Ambassador Asif Anwar Ahmad of the Embassy of the United Kingdom; Ambassador Julio Camarena of the Embassy of Mexico; the Honorable Monica Elisabet Deregibus of the Embassy of Argentina ; other Embassy representatives; Mariano Araneta, Jr., President of PFF, who, together with Dr. Jose Maria Mariano, President of UA&P, inked the Memorandum of Understanding; Daniel Moran, Chairman of The Henry V. Moran Foundation; Nicholas Sylvester Reyes, Club Director of Team Socceroo Football Club Inc.; and Dr. Bernardo Villegas, Director for Research of UA&P Center for Research and Communication and Chairman of the PFF League Task Force. Besides the above mentioned Embassies, the other countries which will participate in the Ambassadors Cup include Canada, Indonesia, and the United States of America, while a community will also be selected to represent the Philippines. In his message to the assembly of dignitaries, collaborators, football coaches, and participating children from the embassies’ partner communities, Araneta emphasized how football imparts values which can improve lives. “The children will learn that there is no hidden secret to excel in football. It requires sacrifice, perseverance, and discipline at any level,” he said. A mini football game was held for the children after the ceremonial kick-off made by the ambassadors and participating organizations. The launch is the first of the three phases in the grassroots football project. Phase 2 involves a coach training program for select young men from the partner communities, which involves general grassroots football training and values-oriented football training exercises to be held during summer break. There will also be two field trips to a football stadium and to a live game. Phase 3 involves a day-long futsal mini World Cup at UA&P sometime early May.

# Text by Liza Marie Alvarado and Martin Badoy

Organizers and partners behind the Ambassadors Cup. From left: CRC Director for Operations Dr. Veronica Ramirez, Ambassadors Cup Task Force Chair Paulus Reyes, Dr. Bernardo Villegas, PFF General Secretary Atty. Edwin Gastanes, Dr. Jose Maria Mariano, Mariano Araneta Jr., The Henry V. Moran Foundation Chairman Daniel Moran, and Team Socceroo Club Director Nicholas Reyes. (Photo by Poch Reyes, UA&P MMC)

US Embassy Economic Counsellor Joel Ehrendreich with a football player. (Photo by Poch Reyes, UA&P MMC)

Rear row: 1st from left Joel Ehrendreich, 3rd from left UK Ambassador Asif Anwar Ahmad, 5th from left Oh Choong Suk. 3rd from right Ambassador George Ney de Souza Fernandes, 5th from right Dr. Veronica Ramirez, 7th from right Argentina Charge d’Affiares Monica Elisabet Deregibus. (Photo by Poch Reyes, UA&P MMC)