PFF to form youth squads

By Edri K. Aznar

THE months of February and March will be relatively busy for Filipino football.


Aside from the upcoming match between the Azkals and Mongolia in the Panaad Stadium in Bacolod City this month, the Philippine Football Federation will be having the team selections for the 13-, 14- and 16-Under national teams late this month and early March.

Cebu Football Association president Richard Montayre, who was appointed as head of the grassroots program and youth development committee, said the elimination tournaments for the age groups will be held late this month and early next month.


�The Visayas tournament will be held at the end of February in San Carlos City while for Luzon and Mindanao, it will be in the first week of March,� Montayre told Sun.Star Cebu yesterday.

Unlike last year, when the elimination tournaments were held just in the Visayas and Mindanao, a Luzon regional tournament has been added this year.

The teams joining the selection tournament will be the elite squads of the different areas of the Philippines.

Montayre said the coaches of each age group will be attending the tournament to select the best players to represent the country�s youth teams.

Premier league

For this year, the PFF will also be working on the premier league, which will be backed by a 10-year, P80-million financial package from Smart.

The Premier League will hold local eliminations for each FA, with the champions moving to the regional , then national level.

�P3.5 million (of the P8 million per year) will be spent for the Premier League. Four million will be spent for the local tournaments (qualifying tournaments). However, we will still be finalizing that,� said Montayre.

Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on February 01, 2011.