The Younghusband Football Academy Goes for the Goal

Brothers Phil and James Younghusband have fond memories of football growing up. A great factor to how much they love the sport comes from the fact that they had such supportive parents who would help them train during their early years.

Their father, for instance, would “train” them in their backyard with an improvised football field and reward them with some money. Their mother, on the other hand, would bring them all the way to London, watch their game, then go back to work again. Their mom would drive them to their games even if she hated driving.

This is the reason the Younghusband brothers want to bring the same love for the sport into the hearts of young Pinoys everywhere. With the increasing appreciation of, interest in and support for local football, it is but natural for young Filipinos to search for avenues where they can develop their passion for and talent in the sport—and this is something that The Younghusband Football Academy (TYFA) provides.

“Football in the Philippines is considered as an elite sport (but) around the world it’s the complete opposite,” said Phil. “It’s the sport for the working class. We want to bring that image back to the Philippines. That’s why we want to make as many opportunities for the kids. That’s why we came up with the scholarship program. We want to bring football to the masses.”

Established by Philippine national football team players James and Phil Younghusband (who now serve as the academy’s director and chairman, respectively) last year, TYFA offers modules that feature a series of skills enhancement clinics and training camps for different types of participants, aimed at providing football enthusiasts of all levels a place where they can improve their skills in the sport.

 

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“We wanted to enhance the Filipino players and trainers’ skills,” says Phil. “We want to give back to the Filipino people.”

The academy offers a host of programs geared towards making football accessible to anyone and everyone who wants to be engaged in it. The mixed repertoire consists of regular weekly training sessions throughout the year in select small private schools, mall tours, speaking engagements, and, most impressively, a series of initiatives that creatively bring the sport to those who don’t immediately have access to it.

Executive Director Cathy Nazareno-Rivilla shares: “James and Phil put up TYFA with the country’s aspiring young players in mind. They want to … provide everyone the same opportunity to enjoy the game.”

This, she continues, doesn’t just mean the students—but even the coaches themselves. “We also want to equip coaches with all the skills necessary to run their own teams properly and independently. This is done through our ‘Train the Trainers’ program, an effort done in partnership with the Local Government Units where PE teachers are taught how to make do with the facilities they already have to teach football to their students.”

Currently, the academy is also preparing to launch a series of weekly tournaments beginning July 10 for different age groups, to be held at Evia Commercial Football Field every Sunday afternoon. “For James and Phil, it was the regular matches that sustained their interest in and fuelled their passion for football,” she explains. “This is also something that we would like to see happening through TYFA. We also intend to award the players on a weekly basis, to motivate them to really perform well on the field and improve their overall football skills.”  

But more than just the typical sports programs, TYFA reaches out to even those who do not have the means to engage in football through special initiatives. “Right now, we are raising funds to implement a grassroots program that would allow us to train public school students for free; as well as a scholarship program in partnership with Gawad Kalinga (GK) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) that aims to send deserving but less fortunate kids to the academy,” Rivilla says. She adds that a test run was successfully conducted to assimilate 5 groups of kids from GK and DSWD by transporting them to the Summer Camp.

 

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Apart from these, she adds, TYFA is also in the thick of a 2-year program geared towards bringing football to key cities across the country. These include cities that have expressed some form of interest in the sport, such as Tarlac, Batangas, Laguna, Leyte and Isabela; and other ‘more advanced’ areas where both coaches and players will be trained every summer.

“They (now) realize that football is so simple,” says James. “They thought it was so complicated.”

Ultimately, TYFA’s dream is to see a crop of world-class players emerge and represent the country in the international football arena.

“The goal is not just to promote the game within the Philippines, but also to produce a team of talented football players who will excel in the bigger tournaments,” Rivilla declares. “We are privileged to be the Asian country with the longest-standing national football team, and now we have a chance to really bring our game to the next level—by training those who dream of bringing Filipino football to the big leagues.”

For more details, contact TYFA at 0939.339.815, email info@theyounghusbandfootballacademy.com or visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Younghusband-Football.