PFF unveils 5 foreign-trained Filipina football coaches

Five Filipinas comprised the first batch of overseas-trained coaches for women’s football in the Philippines while a coach coming from the United States is bound to come here either July or August and help them prepare the national women’s football team in future international tournaments.

The Philippine Football Federation (PFF) said the Filipina coaches will be at the forefront of their campaign to develop women’s football in the country. The five coaches are Letecia Bautista, Josephine Loren, Joyce Landagan, Marnelli Dimzon, and Isa Marquez.

“Bautista and Loren already have ‘B Licenses’ from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Bautista recently came from Germany, where she trained for three weeks," said PFF technical director Aris Caslib. The B License is two levels away from the highest class of coaching
license, Pro, issued by the AFC, Asia’s governing body for football with headquarters in Kuala Lumpur."

Loren, Landagan and Dimzon trained in Malaysia. Marquez will soon undergo a program, also in Malaysia, that is spread out over two years.

Caslib added the PFF is preparing two girls’ teams — the under-14 and the under-16.

The U-16 squad is for international competitions with Bautista and Dimzon as head coach and assistant coach, respectively. The U-14 team, with Marquez as coach, is interfaced with the grassroots football program across the country.

A foreign coach for the senior team

Meanwhile, coach Ernie Nierras, in charge of the PFF women’s development program, said the training of national women’s senior team is progressing well. They are getting ready for the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Women’s Championship games to be held in Laos in October.

Nierras said the participation of the foreign coach will enhance their preparations for Laos. He also said tryouts for the senior team is still open. The team trains at the football field of the University of Makati.

Thirty Filipinas comprised the senior team, ages ranging from 17 to 26,and hailing from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Nierras said they are honing the players’ technical skills, with some emphasis on ball possession, first touch, and basic tactics. He expects the Laos matches will give the PFF a baseline for determining how to further develop the team for international competitions.

Also in the works is the First Philippine Women’s Football Conference planned for March 2012. The PFF just concluded its first Philippine National Football Conference held over the weekend at San Beda College in Mendiola, Manila. - RCJ, GMA News