EVERYBODY hates paperwork, we all know that but it’s a part of our lives. For coaches, paperwork is a part of their job, too, especially if they go for licenses.
So how come in every tournament, complying with paperwork seems a mountain too high for some coaches? Shouldn’t it be just a matter of preparing the needed documents and duplicating them, so whenever they are needed, you have them ready?
For the SunStar Football Cup, we had to eliminate six or seven teams who have already paid their registration fees for failing to pass their lineup on time. I shared that with Glenn Quisido, the one in charge for competitions in the Cebu Football Association.
It turns out, they were the very same teams that got disqualified from the Aboitiz Football Cup---the CFA’s signature tournament--for the very same reason, failing to comply on time.
Why?
Believe me, Cebu coaches are some of those who love to complain a lot. They demand world-class standards from everyone, they want the referees to be World Cup caliber, the organizers to be Fifa-level and scheduling to be glitch free.
But when you ask them to pass their lineup, they get inventive with their excuses.
For example, we were told that the papers for one school’s U7, U9 and U11 teams couldn’t be submitted on time because the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. still had it. I must have existed in another universe because in this football universe, the Cesafi doesn’t have the U7, U9 and U11 competitions.
And besides, if that were true, did they have only one copy? And how come the other schools that competed in the Cesafi high school football competition--Don Bosco Technological Center, Ateneo de Cebu, the University of San Carlos and the University of Southern Philippines Foundation--submitted theirs on time?
Anyway, from 140 plus—which would have been our highest number of entries to date—this year’s SunStar Football Cup number of entries is down to 136, 16 more than last year’s. I think the ideal number would be 16 teams in each division but for this year, we’ve had divisions with 20, 19, 18 and 17 teams.
To the teams who made it, I hope you enjoy the tournament. Remember, winning isn’t everything, just play your best and don’t forget to have fun. It’s a festival, it’s supposed to be fun.
(www.mikelimpagblog.wordpress.com)