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Post by teddyandtimmysdad on Jul 31, 2012 3:34:15 GMT 8
As many of you know, I run a very humble blog (http://www.pff-g.com) dedicated to the grassroots development of football here in the Philippines. I was recently honored with a visit to my blog from the father of Sandro Reyes, who added a comment to the section on "ABOUT THIS BLOG". I have asked him to share some of his insight regarding how Sandro achieved his breakthrough, and what other parents here in the Philippines can do to achieve similar breakthroughs for their young boys or girls. I invite you to join this conversation either here or on the blog directly, so that we can see more success stories for our young talent here in the Philippines. Here is a link to the comments from Sandro's dad if you want to read them directly... pff-g.com/about/#comment-84
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Post by cjeagle on Jul 31, 2012 9:56:07 GMT 8
Thanks for sharing Ed. I enjoyed reading the comments all the parents was saying about their kids all having the same dream and wanting to follow in Sandro's footsteps. I think if he continues to succeed at Barca, he will inspire a new generation of Filipino children who will try to emulate his style as well as Barca's style of play which is great for Filipino football.
I would like to add a dose of reality for most parents folks though in saying that the kind of talent that Sandro displayed at such an early age, from what I have seen in his videos comes only a few times in a generation, a natural attacking midfielder who can control the game like Zidane or Cruyff did. You can teach kids the proper technical skills and ball control that would provide them a good foundation for their football career, but I don't think you can teach the level of vision that he demonstrated in those videos. All of the all time great attacking mids showed this precocity at a very young age as well. It is a little too early to say if he can translate this ability at a later age, but he certainly has the potential especially in the environment he would be training in to be something special. I am looking forward to following his career. Any news you can provide about his experiences at the Barca academy would be appreciated.
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Post by teddyandtimmysdad on Aug 4, 2012 12:33:09 GMT 8
I was at a press conference with Herr Krautzen at the outset of the revival of the grassroots program. Afterwards, I had a chance to talk with him at some depth. I asked him much the same question - what will it take for a young person to really excel at this sport. Surprisingly, he didn't say much at all about running faster, jumping higher, or flying further (I suppose this is left for superheroes). What did he talk about? He talked about two things - developing the players vision at a young age, and exposing the player to possession football - NO ROUTE 1 FOOTBALL. These seem like wise words to me.
However, I have to say, the reason I created this thread was not about an approach towards shaping the player and his on field vision. Rather, I was hoping to get some PRACTICAL TIPS that parents could consider if their child is serious about the sport. Not everyone can follow Sandro's footsteps, but maybe a few could follow a similar path if we knew more about how this opportunity evolved, what sources were used to identify tryouts, etc.
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Post by cjeagle on Aug 4, 2012 14:43:40 GMT 8
You might want to contact his father again then if you want the specific details of how his son was granted this opportunity.
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Post by teddyandtimmysdad on Aug 5, 2012 0:34:58 GMT 8
Actually, Edmund Reyes, the dad of Sandro, has been kind enough to give a VERY LONG and VERY DETAILED story about their efforts to help Sandro. Following is an excerpt, but frankly it is very long best to go to the comments section and read the whole story... (following is an excerpt from Edmund Reyes' comments) my wife and I simply wanted to maximize his talents while never forcing him to practice or play more than he wanted. In the beginning, we believed in getting each of our 4 children into a sport of their choice. It was a way of teaching life lessons not taught inside a classroom. When Sandro got better and more serious, we supported his efforts to make it to his school team.... (for the rest of the story, see the comments section pff-g.com/about/#comments )
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Post by cjeagle on Aug 5, 2012 1:21:25 GMT 8
Thanks again for sharing that Ed. I didn't realize Sandro's father replied back. Very interesting story. It is really impressive that Sandro was able to dominate his peers worldwide, without the benefit of the usual soccer developmental infrastructure you find in other countries. It speaks highly of his natural talent and his potential to be something special. If you don't mind I am going to reference your blog on bigsoccer.com where a lot of international fans have taken an interest in Sandro.
BTW, can you ask his father if he encouraged Sandro to watch FC Barcelona games on tv. From articles I have read, his coach mentions that he likes to study the way they play and that he is an avid student of the game. His game is tailored so much to their style of play that I figured he must have watched them play a lot.
Also please encourage him to continue writing his son's story both past, present and future so we can all follow his journey and progress at the Barca school.
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Post by fadzki on Aug 5, 2012 11:17:57 GMT 8
how is Sandro's family financially? are they an average class family or a above class family.. I just want to know coz I have a 2 yr. old and I want him to play football or atleast try and who knows maybe he will like the game... but problem is financially if ever my kid wants to excel in the game... I read the blog and Sandro's father wrote in there that Sandro went to Singapore and US to join football camps..
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Post by sandrosdad on Aug 5, 2012 13:10:19 GMT 8
Hi guys, thank you for taking interest in my son's story. It would be great to share this to as many football or, for that matter, sports parents here in the Philippines. We truly have so much talent available here but not enough support. Sadly, in top class football these days, the powerhouse clubs like Barca believe that the best time for a coach to influence a player is when he or she is from age 6-11. This is the time they want the best possible intervention from coaches (and parents) to develop not only the skills, but more importantly, the total being of a player. From age 12 and beyond, Barca believes that the player will begin to learn more from his peers. My wife and I never considered sending Sandro to a foreign football academy before he reaches high school. But apparently by that time, following Barca's experience, it will be so difficult to teach him fundamentals that he should have learned when he was between 6-11. Considering Sandro paid his dues locally (competing with the best in his age in Barotac, Santa Barbara, San Carlos, Bacolod, Davao, NCR etc.) and internationally (Singapore international tournament, Oregon Western US tournament) and still emerged among the best, it would be a tragedy not to see what God really has in store for him. The final confirmation came when he was accepted by FCB. He had to beat out the best of the local, national, European and international boys for that coveted spot. It will be painful to let go of half of my family this September. But how can you say No or wait a while? This opportunity should not have even come in the lifetime of any Filipino player in a nation ranked 152 by FIFA this July. Come September 17, when Sandro laces his boots on first training day on the artificial pitch beside Camp Nou, he will bring to the FIFA ranked number 1 country something the Philippines has been dreaming of doing on a European pitch for a long time now: RESPECT.
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Post by Wiking on Aug 5, 2012 13:21:05 GMT 8
Welcome sandrosdad! Please continue to keep us posted, we're proud of you and your boy!
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Post by cjeagle on Aug 5, 2012 20:12:07 GMT 8
Welcome to the forum Edmund. We are truly proud and gratified of your son's achievements. I think he has the potential to influence football in the Philippines the same way Manny Pacquaio has done for boxing, a world class athlete that will inspire future generations of Filipinos to follow in his footsteps. Just like you, all of us Filipino football fans are in a sense, living vicariously through your son.
In the short term it is even possible that if your son continues to do well at the Escola Academy, that FC Barcelona might be encouraged to open up an academy in the Philippines just like they have done in other countries as well which would accelerate the development of the sport at home tremendously and will allow our kids to be scouted without even leaving home, which would be of tremendous benefit to those parents who do not have the financial wherewithal to support their kids like you and your wife did. Congratulations on his acceptance at the Escola and please continue updating us on your son's progress.
P.S. Your presence in this forum reminds me of my conversations with Landon Donovan's father when Landon was still in the US U-17 national team in the soccerboards.com days. He was just as proud of his son as you are of yours and Landon has now become the greatest US soccer player of all time.
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Post by sandrosdad on Aug 7, 2012 8:47:05 GMT 8
Thank you for the kind words Sir and the comparison to Landon Donovan's trajectory! But let me assure you that we do not pressure Sandro at all with his plans or dreams. If he decides to change his mind about football at any time, my wife and I will be quick to help him explore another pursuit. Anyway, to continue along our discussion may I suggest your readers enjoy this article I found today regarding the rise of Japan and Korea into the top levels of the footballing world: The Age of Asia is Arriving: soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story/_/id/1129975/john-duerden:-the-age-of-asia-is-arriving?cc=4716Thank you and let us learn from Japan and Korea that talent must be combined with other equally important ingredients to produce world class players. I know money is crucial but there are other factors also.
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Post by teddyandtimmysdad on Aug 9, 2012 1:00:39 GMT 8
Edmund - you've got mail!
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Post by sandrosdad on Aug 9, 2012 8:35:11 GMT 8
Hi Ed, checked my inbox but did not receive your e-mail. Kindly resend it as you may have missed out on a letter! Looking forward to hearing from you, and more so, even meeting you. I am 100% sure that it will be a meeting filled with constructive thoughts on how to move our grassroots program forward. We pretty much know what the footballing powers did in Europe. Now we are witnessing the rise of Japan and Korea in our part of the world. Our country is blessed with an abundance of youth talent, not unlike the wealth of natural resources God also blessed our land with. Sometimes, countries that are over blessed do not make use of their mana in the best manner. I pray that this generation of Pinoys will make our God, country and family proud!
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Post by xyz1000 on Aug 10, 2012 10:55:19 GMT 8
Welcome to the forum, Edmund.
First of all -- congratulations. To Sandro for making it through an intense selection process where only the cream of the crop make the cut. It's hard for me to think of a more selective process for anything. And to you for bringing up such a passionate kid and by all accounts of what I've read, a well-grounded one.
Expectations are high, and I'm glad you realize that at 9 years of age, many, many things can happen and that his interest may change. Wishing him and your family the best in making the most of this opportunity.
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Post by stellarboy on Aug 10, 2012 12:52:00 GMT 8
Thanks for dropping by, Sir. We hope you had a good time here.
It's so refreshing to hear your son's story taking part in this phase of Philippine football revival. Your son opened the door for more children to inspire and aspire being with the world's top clubs. Having him being a trailblazer for future young Filipino (and maybe Southeast Asian) footballers in the world stage is an achievement in itself. What will be done now is how to sustain it. It can only come from a good grassroots program.
I predict in the future that one of those children being trained now at the Real Madrid academy in Davao del Sur could possibly make the youth team in Spain. By that time when he and Sandro make the first team in the La Liga, we Filipinos could witness an El Clásico having Pinoy players on both teams.
By the way, I do hope your son will always look back to his country, the Philippines, and aspire for its greater successes in the beautiful game. Because who knows, he may become part of a World Cup Azkals team in the future.
Cheers, sir, and we wish your son all the very best!
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