- This year’s invitational camp was held at the Cebu City Sports Center.
- The participants were facilitated by Cebu Football Association and two coaches from the FCB Youth Academy.
- The most deserving athletes will fly to Spain; all-expense paid by MILO Philippines.
Following the success of the 1st MILO Road to Barcelona last year, MILO Philippines once again opened its values-driven program in partnership with globally-renowned football club, FC Barcelona (FCB), in an event held in the MILO Stadium of Kidzania Manila.
Now on its 2nd year, MILO and FCB held this year’s local invitational camp in football hotbed, Cebu City on September 8-9 at the Cebu City Sports Center. Over 160 girls and boys ages 10 to 12 from around the country participated in the world-class football camp for a chance to join the life-changing champion experience in Spain, the home of FC Barcelona.
Just like what the two companies have always believed, HEART values–humility, effort, ambition, respect, and teamwork–equipped with a healthy and active lifestyle are essential in every child’s overall development. This global partnership between MILO and FCB aims to bring world-class opportunities to nourish ambitions and build a nation of champions through sports. Participants of the program are chosen via a nomination from their coaches who will vouch for both their character and talent.
To ensure that the participants will have their best experience during the invitational camp, they were facilitated by the Cebu Football Association (CFA), a regional body under the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) and two coaches from the FCB Youth Academy, FC Barcelona’s flagship youth development program. The two-day training camp which featured theoretical and practical sessions on how to play the Barca way was free of charge—a privilege for the qualified young players. It gave them the kind of training that only FCB can offer to aid in their continued development, progress Philippine football, and further inspire Filipinos to be champions on and off the field.
One with MILO and FCB’s vision is the local organizer of this year’s invitational, the Cebu Football Association (CFA). CFA Vice President Rico Navarro says, “We warmly welcome this momentous collaboration with two iconic sports brands, MILO and FC Barcelona. Our region has some of the most passionate and talented young players in the country, and we hope that this Road to Barcelona camp can foster the right values and grow their appreciation for the sport and everything they learn from it.”
“Every kid dreams of becoming a champ. That’s why the MILO-FCB Road to Barcelona Philippines Camp is back to provide kids the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to train with youth coaches from FC Barcelona. We’ve taken this year’s invitational camp to the Visayas to share the program with even more children in the region, because we believe that these experiences can encourage them to pursue their passion for the sport and nourish their ambitions,” said Willy de Ocampo, Vice President, Nestle Philippines, Inc.
The expert panel composed of PFF representatives and FCB coaches will be in charge of shortlisting the most deserving athletes who will fly to Spain, where one slot in the delegation will be all-expense paid by MILO Philippines.
Similar to the maiden program, the 2018 delegation will take part in a nine-day training camp and ultimate experience in FCB’s hallowed grounds in Camp Nou, Barcelona. The Philippine team will be among their peers from other MILO markets which incude Australia, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Jamaica, New Zealand, Panama, Singapore, Tahiti, Thailand, and Vietnam. Their stay will be filled with special activities that will hone their skills, encourage them to make new friends, explore scenic heritage locations, most importantly, learn how to play with HEART—the Barca way.
MILO Philippines Consumer Marketing Manager Robbie de Vera shares his excitement for year two of the four-year partnership, “MILO is very excited and honored to continue its advocacy to get more kids into sports and help advance Philippine football with FC Barcelona. Our goal for this year is to further enrich the ‘Road to Barcelona’ experience by reaching more Filipino kids and reinforcing the values that encourage more kids to dream big and become champions in life.”
