Bayan Ni Juan Football Team: Perennial source of Calauan Football players

When you see a football team bearing Calauan on their jerseys, it is definitely from Bayan ni Juan, also known as BNJ, Football team. BNJ Football Team started six years ago through the initiative of Bayan Ni Juan Project of ABS CBN Foundation with coach Lyndon Portuguez as the focal person for the youth/kids sports development. He said that football was chosen because they thought that it was given less priority than the dominant team games such as volleyball and basketball. During the earlier months of the, Ms. Joy Girlie Aragon, Project Director of BNJ Project, asked helped from the Laguna Football Team in the University of the Phillipines community. The UP football varsity players taught kids and youths some basic skills and techniques together with the rules of the game. They also donated equipments and uniforms. after that they let the players applied the theories learned into the field. They organized football festival to hone the skills and technique. Fortunately for the BNJ Football, Dayap NHS opted to include football in the sports competition. From then on, they became the representative of DNHS in football competition to Unit Meet. Although bringing the whole team to Provincial Meet is too nimble to catch for secondary level because of well-nurtured and well-practiced, some of its players reached the Southern Tagalog Calabarzon Athletic Association (STCAA) now known as Regional Sports Competition (RSC) namely: Allen Joven, Vincent Domdom and Elizar Adizas, and a player from elementary who reached {the National Stage. They are also received scholarship from the school they enrolled in. The team became champion in competitions held at Santa Cruz and Los Baños. Until now, BNJ Football has whole-year round practice every Saturday and Sunday. They are also conducting summer football clinic. They wanted to prove that BNJ is not a community of prostitutes, of criminals, of the idle and jobless - but a beautiful community of those who have learned once again how to hope, to dream and realize those dreams. It is a community where one can find if he chooses to, a new sense of purpose, pride and belonging, in a place one can truly call home. That in itself is success. So next time you see a football team wearing the Calauan uniform, it is definitely from the Bayan Ni Juan Football Team. “We will never stop helping the kids to discover themselves through sports. Kasi kung ang bata ay naibabaling ang atensyon sa sports, marami syang bagay na natutunan, bukod sa skills nila, matutunan din nila ang disiplina, sportsmanship at kung paano makibagay sa mga kakompetensya nya. Maging maayos na mamamayan lang sila, masaya na kami,” Coach Lyndon said.

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