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How a British man started grassroots football in Payatas

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Levi Joshua Jr. Verora

Beyond the Philippines&#x27; recent success in women&#x27;s football, trailblazers are also ensuring gaps are filled at the grassroots.One of the organizations carrying the torch for the next generation of Filipina football stars is Fairplay For All Foundation, a Payatas non-government organization (NGO) that started in 2011 turned to the sport to empower underprivileged children from the area.Coach Roy Moore, a native of Leyland, Lancashire in England, is at the forefront of building football from the grassroots in the area, then infamously known for its dumpsites.Given his roots, it was only natural for Moore to embrace the sport. His journey to the Philippines, meanwhile, felt like what he &quot;wanted to do&quot; in life when he pursued a career in development and NGO work.&quot;I volunteered with another group before, as part of my requirements for graduation. I went to the Philippines, Kenya, and more,&quot; recalled Moore, who finished a Bachelor&#x27;s Degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at York University.&quot;I loved the experience in the Philippines. I knew it was what I wanted to do — to help make the world a bit fairer. I (grew up) fortunate enough and didn&#x27;t have to worry about money as much. I don&#x27;t have to worry about what to eat today, or to go home and find out my home has vanished.&quot;Moore&#x27;s first visit to the Philippines for ground work was in 2010, coinciding with the historic &quot;Miracle in Hanoi&quot; when the Azkals men&#x27;s national team shocked then defending champion Vietnam at the AFF Suzuki Cup group phase, eventually advancing to its first semifinals.&quot;Suddenly, football popped up. Out of nowhere, (I said) &#x27;Hey let&#x27;s do a football team in Payatas&#x27;. There is some football here,&quot; Moore, 34, said.That was when he, alongside fellow British national Naomi Tomlinson, decided to create Fairplay For All Foundation 11 years ago. Payatas FC became the group&#x27;s first program, and Moore could still remember how much of a &quot;mess&quot; their first-ever training camp went.&quot;So I organized, coached football in the area. Yeah, it&#x27;s very unusual. What&#x27;s this white guy doing in the middle of Payatas, teaching a sport that&#x27;s probably not as popular (back then) in this country?&quot; he joked.Moore said about 80 children from Payatas gathered in a basketball court, kickstarting what eventually became a sustainable grassroots football program in the community.Not long after, the foundation renovated a building in 2013, which served as a drop-in center. There, the children received educational support in the form of extra-curricular classes. Moore focused on the football side, while Tomlinson was in charge of fundraisers back in the United Kingdom.<div><script src="https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&amp;version=v2.5" async="" type="text/javascript"></script></div><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/TeamPhilippinesSCWC/photos/2485619888246327" data-width="auto"> </div><div>--From the streets to the World Cup--</div>Their investments would eventually pay off; in 2014, Fairplay For All was tapped to become the organization to field a national squad for the Street Child World Cup (SCWC) team.The SCWC is organized by Street Child United, an independent organization which taps a foundation from the country which hosts the FIFA World Cup every four years. The group eventually partners with local foundations from other countries, going through a careful selection and assessment process.All teams are flown to the host country, where they can experience their own festive World Cup-like atmosphere, just days before the actual men&#x27;s World Cup kicks off. The event also intends to shine a spotlight on underprivileged children around the world, raise more awareness, and draw more support.&quot;That’s one of the really nice things about the Street Child World Cup. They get kids from all over the world who come together and you see how they just accept each other,&quot; Moore said.&quot;Kids who come from different backgrounds, situations, and they are just happy. Teams are holding each other up. There’s no money for the champion. It’s more of a showcase of the background of what’s happening around the world and the situation.&quot;Since 2014, the Philippines hasn&#x27;t skipped a beat. Fairplay For All has likewise fielded selections for Moscow 2018, and Qatar 2022.For the Qatar edition next month, Moore held various tryouts, involving other local foundations such as Gawad Kalinga and Tondo FC, on top of the core group of players from Payatas FC. Partners from Davao also conducted scouting, to make the national team more representative.The final 18-player pool stayed at a dormitory near Payatas for six weeks. The team trained in a local facility in Mandaluyong, and received help from a sports store when it came to equipment.The camp culminated with short seminars that gave players the avenue to talk about childhood trauma, addiction, and other relevant life topics.&quot;We’re really pleased with their maturity and engagement because in the Street Child World Cup, we discuss these heavy issues and how to solve them. We want to get into those deeper questions and issues,&quot; Moore said.For the actual tournament, the Philippines was slotted in Group 1. It finished with four wins and two losses against teams from Bolivia, Colombia, Indonesia, Palestine, and Qatar. Matches were played under 15-minute and 7-a-side settings.In the quarterfinals, the young Filipinas swept Peru, 2-0, before bowing down to football-crazy Brazil in the semifinals on penalties, 1-3. As quite a fitting consolation, the Philippines received the FairPlay award, when it allowed a player from Colombia who had collapsed the day prior to score.&quot;The overall experience was really great. The girls had an absolute blast. They were able to see a lot of different areas in Qatar. In many ways, it’s a once in a lifetime experience for them. It’s a lot of great memories and seeing a different side of the world,&quot; Moore said.As most of the players headed back to Payatas, the coach mentioned that something to take away from their Qatar stint was the connections made, which could potentially lead to more education and healthcare support, or varsity scholarships.But more than that, it&#x27;s the sustainability from the ground up which is vital — for the next generation of footballers to stay driven and glued to the beautiful game.&quot;The national team, these results can help, inspire, and show potential. For the kids, they don&#x27;t understand how big the (Filipinas&#x27; achievements) are yet. They don&#x27;t really have a grasp. What they really care about is what they&#x27;re doing in local communities,&quot; Moore said.&quot;Every country where football isn&#x27;t the top sport, the women&#x27;s game pushed it forward. They&#x27;ve got a good grassroots program. That&#x27;s what we want to see. We have to make sure every girl in every barangay can play. If you want a 1-in-a-million talent, you need many kids playing. And we want to see that development (here) for other people.&quot;

Fairplay For All Foundation, a Payatas NGO that started in 2011 turned to football to empower underprivileged children from the area.