By Kristine Ina Magdosa and Evangeline Adalid, Davao Today Interns
DAVAO CITY – The nongovernmental Maharlika Sports Development Institute, Inc. announced that the World’s Freestyle Football Federation is considering Davao City as venue for the Asian Freestyle Football Championship later this year.
Edgar Te, executive director of the Maharlika Sports Development Institute Inc. said that the city is lucky to be considered as the venue for the event between October and November this year.
Te said they already informed the City Tourism Office here as this would be a venue for sports tourism in Davao City.
He said the around 100 participants from 15 countries in Asia will compete in the event.
Dan Wood, president and founder of the WFF said that their group was “created to deliver education through music and dance for the football.”
The group is now in the city to promote freestyle football.
“We go into many countries around the world to give a new lifestyle with the football to the young people,” he said.
Wood admitted that they see the Philippines as a “basketball country”, but he said that a player can also play football to “express” his self.
“With freestyle what you gonna do is that you joggling, you dance, so you express yourself through football and by doing that you feel confident, you feel respect, you feel many core values that you can apply to every sports. So actually, freestyle is a way of developing skill and confidence that you can apply to life and to sports,” Wood said.
He said that freestyle football is for everyone and is about empowering the young people.
“Even if you never touched a ball before, you can have a goal, there’s no pressure and you can enjoy by yourself,” said Wood.
The Maharlika Sports Development Institute was founded in 2011 and is a non-profit organization who targets out-of-school-youth.
Te said that they are making linkages and partnership with the Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) in Davao City in promoting “correct, proper, responsible, and sustainable sports development program for children 6 to 19 years old.” (davaotoday.com)
