SFA-AGR-509-08

YOUNG PINOY FOOTBALLERS WIN GOLD AT THE RECENTLY HELD NORWAY CUP

07 August 2008 - The Rizal Football Team, composed of young boys aged 10 to 12 from Colegio de San Agustin and Southridge School in Manila, won gold and the coveted Norway Cup for their age division on 31 July 2008 at the Baekkelagets Sportsklub, Ekeberg, Oslo, besting seven other teams from and outside of Norway with a seven win –zero lose record.

The team, headed by Ms. Emma Fernandez with Coach Potenciano Fernandez Jr. and Team Physician Dr. Julius Drilon, is composed of John Michael Drilon, 11 years old from Colegio de San Agustin (CSA); Seth Patrick Isay, 12, CSA; Jose Paolo Jacob, 12 (midfielder) from Southridge; Rafael Lorenz Labos, 12 (goalkeeper), CSA; Aldrin Junick Malvarosa, 10, CSA; Matthew Laurence Osit, 10, CSA; Laurenz Carlo Salindong, 12, (team captain and striker) from Southridge and two guest players, Kenneth Gjende and Steion who are Filipino-Norwegians from Oslo.

The young footballers came fresh from their quarter-final stint in Denmark and were all but happy to reach the finals and clinch the gold at the Norway cup.

Another Philippine team, the Manila Soccer Academy, composed of older school-age players, won two games but got eliminated after losing two other matches.

Officers and Staff of the Philippine Embassy in Oslo, together with members of the Filipino youth community such as Bantay Bata and the Jesus Is Lord (JIL) Christian Youth for the Nation, welcomed the young Pinoy players at the Embassy with a short program and some Filipino snacks. Embassy officers and staff were also present at the final game of the Rizal Football Team and the subsequent awarding ceremonies.

The Norway Cup is an annual event started in 1972 to promote camaraderie and sportsmanship among Norway’s youth. Today some 1,500 teams or 30,000 participants from 50 nations converge in Oslo, Norway every summer to compete in the world’s largest football tournament for the youth.

Proceeds from the tournament benefit The Norway Cup Project which supports development projects of the Norwegian Agency for Development and Cooperation (NORAD) in least developed and developing countries.

This is only the second time that Philippine teams have participated in the tournament. However, both teams are keen on returning next year with the Rizal Football Team determined to defend and keep its title. END

wingret