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By ADRIAN STEWART CO
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MANILA – Six Filipino football players, including two from Bacolod City, have been given the rare opportunity to meet and train with FC Barcelona during the 12-day Astro Kem Bola Overseas Training from Dec. 5 to 20 in Barcelona, Spain.
Bacolod-natives Lance Lawrence Locsin and Mikaela Villacin will join Davaoeña Jasmine Agustin, Jared Pena, Ryan Johansson, and Astrid Ignacio of Manila as among the 32 players who’ve been given the chance to train with the Spanish Premier League team.
“These six kids will go to Barcelona to train with the best team in the world,” Globe Telecoms citizenship manager Rofil Sheldon Magto told the media during a Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum.
The six players were chosen from the 12 Filipino footballers that participated in the four-day Astro Kem Bola training camp held at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from Sept. 13 to 16.
The 12 players, aged 9 to 12-years-old, were carefully screened from almost 600 participants from the TM Football Para Sa Bayan try-outs supervised conducted in Iloilo, Bacolod, Davao and Manila last July and August.
“Attitude and positive character, yun ang pinakaiba sa kanila at hindi basta yung training na binigay sa kanila sa Malaysia,” said Ilonggo Emelio Caligdong, who served as Globe sports development manager.
Bong Esguerra, Globe Telecoms director for Citizenship, said that the Philippines was able to send football players to Spain after striking a deal with the Astro Kem Bola with a goal of improving the technology of football in the Philippines.
“It’s a partnership and the kids will undergo rigid training there, from basic to advanced technical know-how, plus they will also be given chance to learn more about nutrition and other important aspects of athletic well-being,” said Esguerra./PN
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