THANK YOU. Grassroots members of the Lumbia Raptors FC are thankful for the AS’80 FC for donating their new set of uniform.
TheMonitorMindanaoToday.com | Dutch Club makes Lumbia Raptors FC players very happy
By: Jack Biantan
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — Dutch Youth football club AS’80 has made the players of local club Lumbia Raptors FC very happy.
The club, an affiliate with Dutch football giants Ajax of Amsterdam, has donated shorts, jerseys, and socks to the hundreds of young players of the Cagayan de Oro City Club.
The donation was made possible by Dutch expat Edward Van Ommeren, who handed over two boxes of football kits to Lumbia Raptors FC coach Cris Michael Balabat.
Balabat then gave out the kits to the kids after their training at the Lumbia Central School pitch in Lumbia, Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental.
“The uniforms are fitting gifts for the Lumbia RFC kids and are just in time for the Rosevale Football Cup,” said Balabat. LRFC will compete in eight age group categories in the Rosevale Football Cup, the most prestigious and largest football competition in Cagayan de Oro City.
Balabat, a PFF-AFC D-licensed coach, also thanked Edward Van Ommeren for remembering the Lumbia RFC and making the donation possible.
“The kids are very happy of the gifts. We distributed the kits to at least 60 grassroots players in the Lumbia Central School. We will also give to our active members in the Lumbia National High School before the weekend so that they can wear them in the Rosevale Cup,” he said.
Edward Van Ommeren gave out the two boxes of kits with her wife, Sally Paras Va Ommeren. They are the parents of Cagayan de Oro lady striker Maria Chantal Van Ommeren, a University of the Philippines Lady Fighting Maroons player.
Edward also thanked the AS’80 club for sending the kits. He added that the club promised to send football shoes and more kits next.
AS’80 FC is based in Almere City, a neighbor of Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands, and the home of the Dutch giant Club Ajax Amsterdam.
AS’80 FC is known for its youth development programs and community involvement. The club is a partner of the Ajax Coaching Academy. It also hosts Ajax camps for boys and girls aged 6-16.
Almere City is the newest city in the Netherlands. It sits on reclaimed land created from 1959 to 1968. It became a municipality in 1984. It is now considered the 8th-largest city in the Netherlands, with a population of 214,715. (jackbiantantambok@gmail.com)
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