Many years ago, one of the young kids who wandered onto the barangay basketball court when we started Payatas FC was Regine (center).

She was 11 years old, short and skinny for her age, and often had a cheeky smile on her face. She would join the football sessions on a basketball court, a makeshift version of futsal for what was the first-time football and futsal had ever been introduced in her community.

14 years later, Regine is part of the Philippine team to play at the first ever FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup!

From Payatas…

Payatas is one of the largest and poorest communities in the Philippines, mostly known as the site for the largest dumpsite in the Philippines – until that closed in 2017. Many families still survive through the local garbage industry. It was in this backdrop that we started the charity, with our approach to coaching and mentoring our children to a better future.

Regine would play barefoot, like most of the kids as families here who typically could not afford their own shoes. Regine would play as often as she could, her bare feet flashing around the ball as she tricked her way past the boys to score. Football was a fun way to escape the problems around the area, Regine going through more than her fair share. But football was a happy space to play with her sister, their cousins, and their friends in Payatas.

Regine played along with the boys in the U12s, U14s, and U16s, along with several other girls from the community, and the first reaction from the other football teams was often a laugh. ‘This will be easy! They’ve got girls playing’ one young boy joked one time.

Then the game started…

When Payatas FC joined one youth league, to try and encourage teams to play more girls the youth league included a rule that if a girl scored a goal, it would count as two goals. Regine, our captain for our U16s, ended the league as the top scorer of the whole U16 division and then her goals counted twice! Her younger sister also captained our U14 team and scored the most goals in the entire U14 division. Regine and her sister forced the youth league to change the rule.

From her early teen years, Regine would play for Payatas FC’s Women’s Team and stood out in every tournament and league we joined. As a Fairplay Scholar, Regine graduated from High School and so Colleges quickly came calling…

To College…

Regine chose to go to Far Eastern University (FEU) on a college varsity football scholarship. In her first playing year, once the games resumed after COVID, Regine was midfielder and rookie of the year, scoring the two goals that saw FEU beat La Salle 2-1 to begin their current dominance of women’s football.

Regine again scored the winning goal as FEU beat LA Salle 3-2 in Season 87 for their third title in a row. Now, FEU once again play La Salle in the UAAP final today, with Regine hoping to help her college to win their fourth University title in a row.

To the World Stage…

Now Regine has been selected as part of Philippine team that will be hosting the first ever FIFA Futsal World Cup. It will be an incredible challenge for Regine and the team as they face Poland, Morocco, and Argentina. But just being able to play against the best teams in the world is a massive accomplishment.

Regine has come a long way from that cheeky young child dribbling past everyone on the run-down barangay basketball court.

As Regine represents her College later today in the University Championship (UAAP Final) and then goes on to represent the country at the first ever Women’s Futsal World Cup, her friends and family and community will be cheering on the Pride of Payatas.

Regine’s story is one of many at Fairplay and is why we believe everyone deserves a chance. Regine worked incredibly hard to be where she is. But without the care and support of so many and for so long, she would be the first to say she wouldn’t be where she is now.

Every child deserves that kind of support and care, and you can help provide that opportunity by being a Payatas FC supporter too. We currently have 300 registered players at Payatas FC and expect to grow to 500 next year, all with similar hopes and dreams like Regine.

Contact us using the contact details below to see how you join our supporters and get your name or organisation on the Payatas FC Supporters Wall.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fairplayforallfoundation

Email: ffafoundation@gmail.com