Goal! The Ambassador’s Cup brings soccer to the marginalized community

MANILA, Philippines - Three hundred underprivileged children participated in once-in-a-lifetime soccer mentoring and training program.

Even as football or soccer continues to grow as a global game, TELUS International Philippines (TIP) has been busy bringing the sport to hundreds of underprivileged children as they sponsored the recent Ambassador’s Cup through the TIP Community Board.

A project of the Center for Research and Communication Foundation (CRC), the Ambassador’s Cup aims to bring football, as well as the values the sport instills, to marginalized communities in Metro Manila by providing training for selected kids and coaches. The TIP Community Board is the company’s local foundation that provides financial support for grassroots initiatives, including those centered on education and sports.

Eleven foreign embassies (including Brazil, Canada, and the United Kingdom) each adopted a community to form teams that would eventually compete in an electrifying tournament. Three hundred children and 12 community coaches directly benefited from this initiative, all of whom were extremely grateful to participate in a once-in-a-lifetime football experience. The children enjoyed professional seminars and training sessions, not to mention brand new sets of uniforms and shoes. They also got to experience intensive mentoring from the coaches who came from Team Socceroo Football Club, a local team in Manila. On top of that, they were also treated to an exhilarating field trip to watch a live game in the United Football League.

The event took place at the University of Asia and the Pacific, one of TIP’s partner schools in its TELUS International University program. Representatives from the different embassies had a wonderful time witnessing the enthusiasm and passion of the tournament players, with Team South Africa clinching the title in its final match against Team Timor Leste.

“I don’t feel like a grantee. I feel that I’m well-allied and that there are people who support this project with the same commitment we do. For that, I’m extremely grateful to have worked with TELUS,” says Leon Peckson, representative of the Ambassador’s Cup Task Force.

“What made this initiative rewarding for the TIP Community Board was seeing the confidence the children developed as they mastered soccer skills and the nurturing relationships they had with the coaches,” says Warren Tait. “In addition, they practiced the values soccer inspires – teamwork, discipline, sacrifice, and heart – helping to give them a solid foundation for the future.”

CRC is one of the most recent in a long line of beneficiaries under the TELUS International Community Board’s yearly grant, which distributes CAD $100,000 annually to grassroots organizations. Staying true to the company’s culture of giving, TIP invites charitable organizations to apply for one-time funding for projects in the areas of health and wellness, education and sports, and arts and culture. Previous grantees include Tulay ng Kabataan, Feed Hungry Minds, and Ballet Philippines, among others.

To apply for a TELUS International Philippines Community Board funding, please visit www.telus.com/community.