Philippine United: First Pinoy Soccer Team In Uk

[Steve]

SOURCE: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/pinoy-migration...-soccer-team-ukExcitement, surprise and disbelief filled the Rizal room of the Philippine embassy in London last January 17. On that day, Pinoy football received a boost when the embassy pledged to support Philippine United, the first ever Filipino football team in the UK .More than 50 people attended the groundbreaking event, including current members of the Philippine national football squad, hopefuls, supporters and enthusiasts. The architect of Philippine United is Leo Jensen, a self-confessed Danish football fanatic whose aim is to promote and improve the level of football in the Philippines. Leo, who runs PFAUK or Philippine Football Agency UK, lives in Bolton with his Filipina wife. He has been pursuing the chance to create a British-based team for over eight years. He said he came up with the idea during a trip to the Philippines , where he was saddened to find the national team underperforming in competitions. Rather than a shortage of ability, he attributed it to a lack of unity, good training facilities and investment.Leo admits it was a struggle, mainly due to financial constraints, but he is now very happy to witness the fruition of his efforts.Helping national teamPhilippine United aims to provide Pinoys the opportunity to train and play competitive matches in a UK league. If things go to plan, the UK-based footballers would get the chance to go to the Philippines and play against teams there, while players from the Philippines could, in turn, come to the UK and train with their British-born counterparts.Other than providing a venue where Filipino footballers can hone their skills, Philippine United would also function as a feeder club to the national side. Anyone in the team who excels could get the chance to try out for the Philippine national team, also known as the Azkals, which is a Tagalog colloquial term for street dogs.There was a general feeling of shock among the players that emerged in the meeting at the embassy. After attending the team