Under-19 booters from the Negros Oriental Football Association representing Eastern Visayas are eyeing victory in a five-day match in San Carlos City for the right to represent the Philippines for the under-19 division in the South East Asian Games in September.
The Negros Oriental athletes won the right to represent the region after beating Negros Occidental, Iloilo, Cebu and Leyte in the Bacolod eliminations last April 25-30.
Alfredo Bustamante, Norfa secretary general and manager of the East Visayan team, said the team is composed of five players from Bacong, three from Siaton, and some chosen athletes from Cebu, San Carlos and Bago cities.
Three of the Norfa/East Visayan players are also national players, having represented the country in international tournaments. They are Sabin Bustamante, Lyndon Banaag and Raymund Santillan.
The team’s coach is Patrick dela Torre, a teacher at the Bacong National High School, who is also one of the directors of the Norfa.
The competition in San Carlos City is sponsored by Philippine Football Federation, the governing body of all football associations.
Norfa will battle it out with six other teams. There will be two teams from Luzon, two from Mindanao–the Zamboanga-Davao team and the Northern Mindanao Iligan-Cagayan-Bukidnon joint team.