1Bataan team makes waves in football

BALANGA CITY, Bataan – Another feather was added in our province’s cup when our 1Bataan Girls Football team emerged champion with three (3) MVPs in the recently concluded A-Kenyo Cup 2019 held last May 18 & 19 at the Bulacan Sports Complex in Malolos, Bulacan.
The 1Bataan Football Girls team is composed of high school and college students from Pagalanggang National HS, BPSU Dinalupihan, Orani National HS, and Hermosa National HS.
The 3 MVPs are Anill Pilapil from Orani National HS as Best Defender, Teytey Soyangco from BPSU Dinalupihan as Best Striker and Kayla Joyce Rivera from Orani NH as Highest Goal Scorer.
Samuel Olaniyi Odunlami or “Coach Sam”, a Nigerian national who has been residing here in Bataan for the past eight (8) years was ecstatic while enumerating the feats that the children he has been mentoring have accomplished over the years, with the full support of Mayor Gila Garcia, Gov. Abet Garcia and other local government officials.

Coach Sam, a “B” licensed coach of the African Football Federation, the Philippine Football Federation and the Asian Football Confederation has been playing football for 32 years now and 22 years in coaching. During the last 8 years, the 1Bataan Football team has been competing and winning in several tournaments as far as Laguna, Rizal, Makati, Baguio City, Pangasinan, Nueva Ecija, and Bulacan to name a few, all supported by Mayor Gila and Gov. Abet.

Coach Sam has also been actively involved in coaching street children and out of school youths in Dinalupihan as well as teenagers who are into smoking on condition that they will stop smoking and in return, Mayor Gila helps them go back to school. This is in support of the Tobacco Free Generation advocacy of the Provincial Government of Bataan.
This coming Saturday, June 22, kids ages 6-11 will be competing at the CDC in Clark and on June 23, the girls’ team will be in Mariveles for the Futsal Tournament.
Carry on, Coach Sam!

Photos courtesy of Coach Sam