For the love of the game

For 51-year-old Butch Ledesma, playing football is a passion. He enjoys being competitive at his age, sweating it out on the pitch every Sunday afternoon with the Blue Guards club at the Ateneo grounds, wearing a uniform and glitzy football shoes and joining friends for a beer after a match. Football isn’t just a game for Ledesma, it’s a way of life.

“I’ve been playing football since I was in grade school at the Ateneo,” said Ledesma, a psychology graduate. “I was on the Ateneo grade school, high school and college teams as a striker. I remember when I was a boy, my mom would encourage me to play. I think she wanted me to be self-confident because I was quite short. I’m 5-2 today so I’m still short. She offered to give me P50 for every goal I scored and when my father found out about it, he upped it to P100 which was a lot of money at that time. I was always self-conscious when I played. My father would hide behind a tree so I couldn’t see him during a match.”

After graduation, Ledesma gave up football to concentrate on work. “I was burned out and playing became a chore so I didn’t enjoy it anymore,” he said. “I did work with a construction company, started a family. Then, when I was 40, I was invited to play again by a group of Ateneo dads. I hadn’t played in about 20 years but when I got on the field, I was surprised to find out I could still kick. I got involved with the Ateneo Football Center teaching kids and playing in a tournament for fathers. I was excited all over again, realizing I could still play. Also, I couldn’t believe the advanced design of the new football shoes and the nice-looking jerseys. All those factors led me to form the football club Oscaris, named after Bro. Oscaris who was my Ateneo grade school coach. We were Ateneo dads and got together for weekend games at the Ateneo high school pitch. It was fun but as we wanted to get a little more serious about playing, some of us joined the Blue Guards.”

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Ledesma said when he was a boy, the Blue Guards were already a legend in Ateneo football. “The club was formed back in 1965 and every Sunday, they played at the Ateneo field with former national players, former varsity players and friends,” he continued. “I remember one of the Blue Guards was the late Agriculture Secretary Bong Tanco whose son Chris, now based in the US, also plays football. I’ve been playing with the Blue Guards, 11-a-side, every Sunday for about seven years now. I enjoy our games, the level of skill is quite high and it’s very challenging to play. There are about 60 players in the Blue Guards pool and at least 30 show up for the Sunday games on a regular basis. We even go abroad to play in competitions for 40-and-above in Shanghai, Penang and Bangkok. We all enjoy playing and also the eating and drinking after each game.”

Ledesma said one of the best things that ever happened in his sports “career” was the formation of the Ateneo Football League in 2011 by Rely San Agustin, Rick Olivares and Jerry Ngo. “It’s basically a summer league, seven-a-side, that runs for about two months,” said Ledesma. “There are several divisions, including a mixed fun division where a team must play at least two females at a time. In the first year, I joined the 31-and-above division although in our team, we were mostly 40 and over. We placed fourth out of nine teams. I was chosen for the Mythical Seven. The next year, a 40-and-above division was created with four teams. Last year, we won the championship and I was awarded the Golden Boot for scoring over 10 goals in eight games. This year, we swept our first and second round matches then lost to Freedom in the semifinals on a penalty shootout by a goal. I was awarded another Golden Boot for scoring 13 goals in seven matches. Our players included Dodie King, Eric Ingles, Ricky Jacinto, Bert Honasan, Randy Roxas and Noel Reyes.”

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Ledesma said he never imagined receiving the Golden Boot at his age and it has surprised even his wife Patricia. “We’ve been married 21 years now,” he said. “I think she’s intrigued and proud that I can still play at 51. Our three boys never got into football. Our oldest Itos is 20 and he’s in UP. Cholo is 17 and he’s in first year of university at the Ateneo. Our youngest Yael is 8 and entering Grade 3. Both Itos and Cholo are artists who take after their mom. Itos is a singer and lead guitarist with the band Yurei while Cholo drums with Ashley’s Kryptonite.”

Ledesma said the Azkals’ progress in international football is a big boost in the campaign to promote the sport in the country. “Only recently, I was driving our family to Jalajala, Rizal and on the way, I saw kids, anywhere between 8 to 10 years old, playing football on a dirt field, no grass, only soil,” he said. “It’s like how they start out in Brazil, playing football on dirt fields. I mentioned it to my sons. I was so happy that football is being played by kids at the grassroots level because that’s where the growth starts.”

As for his playing “career,” Ledesma said he’s not thinking of quitting any time soon. “I’ll keep on playing,” he said. “My constant prayer is I don’t get injured. I don’t really work out to get fit to play. At my age, it becomes harder to work out. You just want to go out there and play. I’m blessed to still be playing and enjoying with friends.”