THE GAMES OF THEIR LIVES
Ella Chua could hardly believe it.
The 12-year-old defender of the Makati Football Club program was slapping fives with opponents from the youth squads of Europe’s biggest clubs, who were genuinely impressed with the fight that the Filipinos brought to their fields.
“It was definitely one of me favorite moments,” Chua, from San Juan in Metro Manila, said. “We were shaking hands with the opponents after the game and telling them ‘good game.’ We were a team from the Philippines and we were able to match their talent; they were very gracious, friendly and nice after the game. It seemed like they were genuinely happy to have played our team as well.”
Chua was one of the players of MFC who toured London for a week earlier this month and played against the youth programs of European football’s most prestigious clubs.
Manchester United. Arsenal. Brighton. Leicester City. MFC played them all. They also battled London’s oldest club, the Cray Wanderers as part of MFC’s English Pro Tour 2024.
The MFC girls earned the tour after ruling the U12 division of the Gothia Cup in Sweden earlier in the year. The Gothia Cup is football’s largest international youth tournament and MFC’s victory there merited the invite to play against top European clubs.
“All our hard work paid off, getting to play the best of the best and being able to see that we are as competitive as they are,” said captain Ariana Gementiza. “I am even more inspired to work harder and do more.”
“The experience in the London tour was amazing. We got to play against top english pro teams like Manchester United and Arsenal,” she added.
As is protocol, the scores of the 11-a-side friendlies are not allowed to be posted anywhere. But suffice it to say it was a successful run for the MFC girls, who went undefeated during the trip.
“This is the greatest feat of Makati FC by far,” said Selu Lozano, the owner of Makati FC.
“This gave us the opportunity to find out where we are and how our talent compares to the top global teams in that age group,” Lozano added. “We also got a glimpse of what it will take for our girls to reach elite level as we progress and push further their development.”
Validation, confidence
There was certainly a lot to be learned from the trip.
One thing I liked about this tour, is that the team was able to have fun all while also being focused and determined during matches,” said Skye Gonzales, the team’s midfielder. “From creating new friends to learning new skills, I think that this trip was able to teach me the value of being grateful for all the opportunities I have.”
“This trip really inspired me because it showed me all the different skill levels of the players from the top clubs in the UK,” Chua said. “I loved how we were able to see and visit all of their unique and organized training grounds and sometimes get to use their changing rooms. I also liked how during, after and before the game we sometimes got to see the other age groups in their clubs playing and training.”
More importantly, it gave the girls validation and confidence as they continue their football journey.
“We saw that we’re just as good as Premier League clubs and we can even beat them,” said striker Julia Kabatay. “[Our performance] gives me a lot of confidence as well being able to score against Leicester City and Manchester United.”
Of course, the girls got to have some fun as well.
Gementiza noted that she and her teammates bonded over visits to “famous tourist spots like the Houses of Parliament, the Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, London Eye, among others.
“We got to ride their subway which makes the experience even more wonderful,” said the crafty midfielder.
But the biggest prize for the girls was getting to show England’s best what MFC football is all about.
“I’m very proud of my team not only being there to see tough competition but I believe we brought the competition to England, one of the biggest football nations in the world,” Chua said.
For these girls, there’s a whole world out there to conquer.
