In search of the country’s next sports star, the small southern Cebu town of Moalboal launched its first ever sports grassroots program, the 1st Mayor Inocentes Cabaron Academic and Sports Enhancement Program, on July 14, 2023.
Mayor Inocentes Cabaron initiated this grassroots program to fully develop the untapped talent of Moalboal’s young athletes from the town’s 15 barangays.
“We have seen that this will do good to the youth. Train them early so that we can see which ones have potential. So that we can support them to fully develop their potential. Aside from that, in the higher level, there has been a lot of competition between different towns. It’s to train them really early so they can give pride to our town,” said Cabaron.
Some of the sports that have been offered are basketball, volleyball, tennis, arnis, sepak takraw, badminton and table tennis.
Cabaron said this is the first time that Moalboal will have a grassroots program and that previously it only had sporting events.
“We didn’t have these previously, that kids are being trained through a sports program. Grassroots training is new here in Moalboal,” he said.
Just in basketball alone, around 450 players have already signed up for the grassroots program.
The basketball and volleyball sports will have a culminating activity near the end of the year with a Christmas Cup and an Inter-Barangay League. Moalboal will also host a duathlon event in December.
Moalboal has a solid volleyball team and is currently deep in preparation for the Governor’s Cup. It’s women’s volleyball won Cluster 3 in the Governor’s Cup in 2019, right before sports was held to a standstill because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
With the town known for its white sand beaches, Cabaron also plans to develop beach volleyball and hold a tournament soon.
“Moalboal is suited for beach volleyball because we have great beaches. It’s just the adjustment of the players from the hard court to the sand. I want to hold a tournament here just like the Nestea,” said Cabaron. (EKA)