Kalibo Sakeros win in Boracay beach soccer tourney

BY BOY RYAN B. ZABAL 

Young footballers from Kalibo, Aklan was declared champion in the annual Sama Sama Games beach soccer tournament in Boracay Island.

Sixteen teams, which include six girls teams, saw action in the 4^th edition of Sama Sama Games on the beachfront of Boracay Terraces Resort held from May 9 to 11.

Kalibo Sakeros Football Club, Inc. emerged as Barkada Shield Cup Men's division champion after a hard-fought final match 2-1 against Mint Boracay while Tacloban Surge Football Association bagged the other trophy for Sama Sama Cup Men's Division. 

Kalibo footballers, popularly known as the Sakeros headed by Mary Lou Salido, have been playing against the highly-touted teams in the country. 

The beach football matches are split into three periods of seven minutes per match with five-a-side and open substitutions. The teams are allowed to field eight players aged 17 and above. 

“Sakeros were trailing in the first period, but, we were able to score two consecutive points in the second and final periods to win the Barkada Shield,” said the 25-year old Psychology Management graduate from University of the Philippines in the Visayas-Miag-ao.

 The four-day tournament is accredited by Beach Football Association of the Philippines and is supported by DHL Express, Puma, and AirAsia.

Other teams who joined the tournament were defending champion Boracay Football Club, Ambassador Boracay, Primo Cavite FC, Gawad Kalinga Sipag Football Club Manila, Dream Big-Grigio FC Manila and City Government of Calapan FC in the men’s division.

The girls teams were Gawad Kalinga Myra Ladies Manila, Kestrels Dumaguete, Cebu, FEU Lady Booters, Jiva’s Regal, and Bacolenas Bacolod. 

Salido, who hails from Maloco, Ibajay, Aklan, said Sakeros will continue to bring the game to the communities in their outreach football program dubbed ‘Project: 1^st Goal’.

Street children and kids from all walks of life, around 40 of them,  played on the field six days a week in Kalibo Pilot Elementary school to promote and expand youth football, she added.

Meanwhile, the local government of Kalibo under the leadership of Mayor William Lachica will recognize the achievements of Kalibo Sakeros Football Club in the Boracay beach soccer tourney this month.