MANILA, Philippines – The final 10 players have been selected to represent the Philippines in the fourth edition of the Street Child World Cup that will be held at the Oxygen Park in Doha, Qatar from October 8-15.
The Street Child World Cup brings street-connected young people from across the world to participate in a football tournament, which also includes an art festival as well as various symposia that advocates for the rights and protection of street children.
Six players from Payatas FC, two players from Tondo FC and two players from Gawad Kalinga communities will comprise the lineup.
Making the list are goalkeepers Jhasmine and Arlene (Payatas FC); defenders Kim (Payatas FC), Bernalene (Payatas FC) and Daiane (Gawad Kalinga); midfielders Lhei (Tondo FC), Camille (Payatas FC) and Lovely (Tondo FC); and forwards Lizzie (Gawad Kalinga) and Charlene (Payatas FC). The players’ surnames are withheld for protection purposes.
Ronalyn Lagata, who was part of the first-ever Philippine squad to compete in the SCWC back in 2014, is the head coach. Lagata will be assisted by manager Roy Moore and administrator Karen Anne Zarraga.
Team Philippines represents a variety of backgrounds and issues in the Philippines. When younger, some of the players have scavenged in the streets, begged in the streets, or otherwise worked in the streets. Others have lived under the bridges of the city or slept along the streets.
Through this program, they are not only given opportunities but also an education to help turn their lives around.
For 2022, Thinking of Yves (TOY) is the main sponsor of Team Philippines. Decathlon has also helped to equip all the girls in the training camp and SPARTA was a weekly training venue for the team.
If you’d like to support Team Philippines, click the link below for the fundraising page, email ffafoundation@gmail.com for our Philippine bank details, or use 09171700590 for GCash to be forwarded to our bank account (name: Karen Anne Zarraga).