The presence of Claret and Southridge high school booters in the UAAP will be a boon for football and possibly other sports as well.
The UAAP did something rather unusual this season by inviting two non-UAAP teams to their juniors football competition. Claret from Quezon City and PAREF Southridge from Muntinlupa have joined the fray. In recent seasons only Ateneo, DLSU Zobel, UST, and serial winners FEU have participated in high school boys football. Now there is a full slate of ten regular season games instead of just six.
As expected, the new kids on the block are holding up the table, losing all six of their games with a combined goal difference of -18. Last Wednesday UST clobbered the Red Roosters of Claret 5-1 but the Southridge Admirals, twice this season, have lost just 1-0. On Wednesday it was against Zobel, the other day an impressive result against the Tamaraws.
But even as Claret and Southridge have not yet tasted victory, this development could have far-reaching benefits for the game for a few reasons.
I have heard experts say that for a footballer to develop into an elite professional, he or she needs around 40 matches a year starting from the early teens. This is partly how top European footballers from proper academies become world class.
And by 40 matches we mean 11-a-side, 90-minute matches with the offside rule and no flying subs. We do not include the seven-a-side 15-minute games so common in festivals here.
The typical Filipino footballer, especially those from the provinces, only gets a fraction of this number. Guest teams in the UAAP will help bridge this yawning disparity in match time.
“Happy to see that both guest teams are deserving of being in the league with their impressive showing early on as well having the full support of their respective communities every matchday,” says league commissioner Rely San Agustin.
“The next generation now has something to look forward to.”
The introduction of the two sides means each team will have an additional four games, or 360 minutes of action. And that doesn’t even include the final four games. Previously UAAP juniors would go straight to the final after two regular season rounds. Now they can have a final four and the final.
Our youth national teams have typically struggled in international play and one of the reasons is a lack of experience in high-stakes, highly pressurized matches with big crowds. This development can only help.
Not only will players get more experience with different tactics, formations, and styles of play, but a greater pool of players will get in on the action. No doubt the established four teams are doling out lots of playing time to their freshmen and bench players when they face Southridge and Claret. This will help bring out diamonds in the rough, helping new talent get discovered. This is especially true for the goalkeeper position, where often an older, more experienced net minder would have a stranglehold on the spot and the reserve keeper never gets any game time for the entire season.
“We now have the platform to showcase the football quality that Southridge can produce,” says Ryan Fermin, the assistant coach of the Admirals, and an alumnus who also played for the UP men’s team.
“But more importantly, it inspires our younger players to look up and work towards becoming UAAP players one day themselves,” adds Fermin. Southridge has produced their share of UAAP footballers, and now they will be entering the university level game sharper than ever.
But this goes beyond the players. Coaches will also gain more knowledge and experience, allowing that profession to level up. Referees, match commissioners, and others involved with the game will also improve their skills at a faster pace.
I can see even more good news from this decision by the UAAP. A precedent has been set in one corner of the UAAP landscape. Why not let the “contagion,” for lack of a better word, spread to other sports?
The UAAP is known for its cash cows, basketball and volleyball. But the association also includes scores of sports like judo, badminton, chess, e-sports, fencing and taekwondo. Could we be seeing guest schools in these other pursuits as well, in both seniors and juniors levels?
That could bring incalculable benefits, opening higher-level competition in so many sports to other athletes, raising the standard of sport in general. It could help boost our chances of more podium finishes in the SEA Games and other international competitions.
Props to the UAAP for believing in the mantra of “the more the many-er.”
Banner Images from UAAP Media Bureau.