Baguio's Field of Dreams

FEATURE
Annabelle Codiase-Bangsoy

BAGUIO CITY -- The Melvin Jones football grounds may not be London’s Wembley Stadium. Or Camp Nou, that 100,000-capacity stadium of the Barcelona Football Club rated five star by the Federation Internationale de Football Association.

Still, it has seen muddied “wagwag” boots propel dreams in children's hearts. Like the motto on the stands of Camp Nou (”Mes que un club”), it’s more than an un-even, un-manicured field. It has become the field of dreams for Baguio’s young football players.

These dreams get etched in their young minds every time they risk getting scolded by their mothers for soiled socks, shoes and kits marinated in the chocolate brown dust and mud at Burnham Park.

Mike Danieve Arbella never thought he could be the leader of a team that will represent Baguio city and the Cordillera region in this year's national games.

The 12-year old had to make amends first with slack study habits, indiscipline and some attitude before the captain's band was strapped to his left arm by his coach, Gatan Dalang,a former Ateneo player.

"Dito kami tumino sa football,” Mike proudly said."Gusto ko maging kagaya ni coach."

The son of a part-time taxi driver-carpenter and a saleslady, Mike wants to land a college football scholarship at Ateneo to help his parents.Yet he doesn't want to dream alone.

"Gusto ko,lahat kami sa team makakuha ng scholarship sa Ateneo," he said.

As he enters high school, Mike was selected by Goshen Land Capital Inc. as one of its first batch of scholars from the pool of public school kids playing football.

He aspires to become like his coach, Gatan, a local boy who grew up playing at Melvin Jones and was recruited by Ateneo, together with his friend, now high school football team coach Aris Bocalan.

Together, they helped power the Ateneo football team that won the famed three-peat UAAP championships from 2004 to 2006.Then they came back home to train young kids for football so they could be prepared and trained for life, beyond the dusty and rocky Melvin Jones Football Field at Burnham Park.

"I thought I would coach so I could share my skills and talent," Dalang said. But after meeting under-privileged kids from public schools at the Melvin Jones Football Field his coaching took on a different course.

"Football coaching for me now is about touching and changing lives," he shared.

Also under his wing is James Mark Ariola,12, a striker in Mike’s team. He used to frequent computer shops. He’d go home late, making his mom worried sick. While gifted with a talent for football, he was an absentee trainee.

Challenged to commit to training so his talent won’t go to waste through a positive coaching approach, his addition for computer games stopped and he was transformed into an outstanding player.

He dreams of becoming a player for the Azkals and aspires to reaching the pinnacle of any local boy's football dream-- to play in an international stadium for the famed European football team Manchester United.

James Mansueto, the team's co-captain and central defender, admitted he joined football so he could veer away from the destructive influences of bum gangs and fraternities.

A very quiet soul, he usually keeps to himself but transforms into a hard player inside the field. He said he learned self-discipline through positive coaching in football.

The son of a carpenter and a homemaker, James dreams of playing in an international stadium and finishing a course at the Philippine Military Academy to help his parents. Like Mike, he was also awarded a scholarship grant from Goshen Land.

Kenneth Sibaen,11, was unlikely to become a football player. Now entering grade 6, he proved a year before that anyone can play football.

"He was overweight and sluggish in training," coach Dalang said. After going through football coaching, he slimmed down, became industrious and committed. Like the rest in the team, he learned self-discipline from his coach. He dreams of playing alongside Ariola for Manchester United.

Kleiu Mangaoang,12, had seen yellow and red cards flashed over his academic performance since grade 1, before football came into play. Addicted to computer games, he just went to school for half day. Still, he helped his mother make ends meet by selling barbecue near a jeepney stand up until 11 o'clock in the evening. He’d go home tired and unable to focus on his studies.

Football coaching helped him overcome. For the first time, he passed all his subjects and received a medal from his school for his football team's championship performance at the Cordillera regional games. Now a Goshen Land scholar, he wants to become a PMA cadet and hopes to build a house for his future family someday.

Meantime, he gets muddied and soiled in training towards scoring that life goal inside and outside the field of dreams.