The Philippine Football Federation (PFF) and the Cebu Regional Football Association (CRFA) opened a six-day PFF Futsal C Coaching Course at the Cebu City Jail-Male Dormitory (CCJMD), where 17 persons deprived of liberty (PDL) began training toward a PFF License C coaching qualification.
The course is led by the CCJMD Development Officers under Jail Warden JSUPT Richard B. Tulabing, DSC, and is hosted by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in Cebu City.
“Futsal needs very little: a small space, a ball and people willing to learn. That makes it one of the most powerful tools we have for reaching Filipinos who have been left behind by opportunity. This course shows that futsal can offer a path forward even inside a correctional facility,” said PFF President John Anthony Gutierrez.
An initiative that started inside
According to CRFA President and PFF Third Vice-President Engr. Rodney Orale, the course grew out of the efforts of football players who are serving time at the facility.
“With the support of the jail warden and other BJMP officials, the program has continued and is held almost every year. The facility has also organized PFF referee courses and two-day futsal tournaments inside the jail, with guest teams invited from outside,” Orale said.
Orale added that the course is meant to prepare participants for a better future after release.
Football stakeholders continue to show their support for initiatives like this, recognizing the power of sports in promoting rehabilitation, personal development, discipline, and positive change among our brothers inside the facility.
PFF Head of Coaches Education Ariston Bocalan, CRFA Coaches Education head Robert Nicart, and UP Women’s Futsal Team head coach Carl Cabonilla also took part in the opening.
Skills for life after release
Participants will learn the knowledge and practical skills needed for the License C qualification. They can use those skills to coach within the facility, share them with fellow PDL and carry them after their release. CCJMD said sports-based learning builds confidence, leadership, discipline and skills that support reintegration into the community.
Gutierrez said the program is designed to license PDL futsal coaches inside the facility and later create a program for the children who visit them. This would make futsal coaching a family activity and a safe place for those children.
A coaching license gives someone a skill, a role, and a reason to believe in what comes next in a PDL’s life. Futsal and football have always belonged to everyone, and that includes those who have been marginalized or shut out. May this be an inspiration in bringing coaching and refereeing courses to places that football does not usually reach.
“We thank BJMP, CCJMD, CRFA, and the PFF Coaching Education Team for making this course possible. We wish the 17 participating PDLs well and look forward to seeing them coach,” Gutierrez concluded.
(Photos from CCJMD)
