Tinian Premier FC joins fall festival

Tinian Premier Football Club players and officials pose with TanHoldings FC players after their U12 division game in the 2016 NMIFA Youth League Fall Festival held last Saturday at the Hopwood Junior High School Field. (Contributed Photo)

Tinian Premier Football Club’s U12 players had a fruitful appearance in the 2016 NMIFA Youth Fall Festival held last Saturday at the Hopwood Junior High School Field.

“We traveled to Saipan with 16 players for the NMIFA Fall Festival and ended up with an amazing total of 17 goals,” Tinian Premier FC official Arley Long said in a message sent to Saipan Tribune yesterday.

On top of its goal surge, the visiting Tinian Premier FC was also undefeated in Pool A of the co-ed U12 division. Tinian played against MP United-1, Shirley’s FC, Southern United FC, and Kanoa-2. Official scores of the festival games were not announced as matches were non-competitive and were played to promote sportsmanship and camaraderie more than winning.

Tinian Premier FC’s U12 team was composed of Chit, Edgard, and Chad Accollador, Lance Sablan, Dwayne Cabrera, Peyton Christian, Isa and Cielo Long, Tano King Jr., Emiliana King, Colleen Cing, Jesus Manglona, Kiara Santos, Pritzel Carreon, Matt Soliva, and Chloe Demangano.

“Coach Philip (Mendiola-Long) and I are so proud of our Tinian Premier FC U12 team. These kids practice their hearts out every week and the results in the festival showed that their hard work and dedication paid off,” Arley said.

Since the establishment of the club in 2012, Arley said they have seen significant improvements from their players and they hope to continue polishing the skills of Tinian strikers with the help of the community.

“When we first started, these kids had no clue how soccer is played. It’s evident that from the time we first started our club to today, these amazing kids have grasped the skills and continue to love the sport. They really surprised us,” the Tinian Premier FC official added.

The club will be back on Saipan next week with its U14 team competing in the 2016 FA Youth Challenge Cup that is scheduled for Nov. 26. It hopes to come to Saipan to play more games against other clubs next season.

“If only it wasn’t so expensive to fly over. We spend about $10,000 per season. We would like to thank our community for supporting our club these last four years, and Tinian’s [Legislative] Delegation for appropriating funds to our club this fall. We need all the support we can get,” Arley said.

The club also acknowledged Leisha Mendiola and Sean Christian for assisting in the players’ needs (food and drinks) and the organizing Northern Mariana Islands Football Association for inviting Tinian players to the festival.

Tinian Premier FC’s 16 U12 players are among the 280-plus players who saw action in the one-day event. Matches in the U8, U10, and U12 divisions took place from 9am to 5pm.

“We had a good turnout today. The weather was also cooperative so everyone had a great time, especially the players. We thanked all the clubs and their officials, volunteers, and parents for making the fall festival a success,” NMIFA general secretary Ross Zapanta said.