A few months of rest passed since our last session in Karachi and finally, it was time to return back to programming. Considering this would be our very first program of 2026, what better place to start the new year than the Philippines, which is my personal comfort zone.

Our last Philippines-based session was just months prior, but it had been a minute since our last Philippines-based school program, dating all the way back to 2016 in Pangasinan. This was part of the very beginning of Around the Worlds. Needless to say, I was extra excited to be back in the Manila public school system. This time I was working with a double set of kindergarten classrooms all thanks to my contact, Mrs. Kimberly.

She is a teacher at the school and was equally excited for her little kindergartners to participate in a new sport. Parents were also invited to join in for the one-day event. It’s safe to say the football program was the perfect welcome back for the new year.

In no time, over a dozen little tykes flooded onto the basketball court located in the school’s quad. Just behind them, a handful of parents were ready, who were just as eager to help as their kids were eager to participate.

The kids were still a little sleepy before our 8 a.m. start time, so Mrs. Kimberly decided to get their brains (and legs) moving with a quick little dance number. Having successfully injected them with energy, I invited each kindergartener to step forward and share both their name and age, so we could all get to know each other.

I pointed to my left, introducing my best assistant for the day, Rronyth. “This is Coach Rron,” I said.

“And I’m Stephen, but you guys can call me Coach Stephen… or Kuya Stephen, if you want,” I said with a smile.

“Kuya Pogi!” (Brother Handsome!) yelled out a boy in the crowd, with a chuckle.

“Pwet!” (Butt!) and “kili-kili!” (armpit!) were round highlights, as always.

Hoping to keep the listening theme going, I segued quickly over to our second listening exercise, calling the kids to dribble around our space before stopping the ball with whatever body part I called out. Starting things off easy, I hit them with a whistle and a simple “paa!” as they all trapped the ball with their feet.

“Sige na, dribble ulit!” (Okay now, dribble again!) I called out, as they all followed suit.

“Kamay!” (Hand!) I yelled out next.

They all stopped and bent over, clutching the ball with their hands.

“Isang kamay!” (One hand!) I yelled.

“Dalawang kamay!” (Two hands!) came next.

“Okay! Walang kamay!” (No hands!) I yelled, as they all looked at each other quizzically, before putting both arms behind their backs.

Sensing weary bodies, I sent the kids to the wings for a water break as Mrs. Kimberly took advantage of the time to upgrade it from a water break to a snack break. The kids rummaged through their superhero lunchboxes, excited to see what their parents had packed. Energy back at a full clip, we hit another dance break before rounding out the first session with ball control grids and a freestyle lesson. Of course, with these being kindergarteners, the extent of our ball control grids was really just basic passing, followed by light headers. But it was still footy, and the kids were having a ball.

As things wrapped up, I sent the kids back to their classroom with plenty of take-home goodies, which included a drawstring Around the Worlds bag and Christmas-colored soccer bracelets.

“Thank you, Coach!” they yelled, as a line of parents formed, asking me to pose for photos with their kids, which I happily obliged.

The clock struck 9:30 and it was time for our second session, with yet another batch of five year olds. They, too, flooded onto the court donning their white and red PE uniforms, as instructed by Mrs. Kimberly well ahead of time. Exactly like the first group, these guys all stepped forward to introduce their names and ages.

“I’m Irene, I’m seven years old,” said one girl, shyly, with a smile.

“I’m JecJec, and I’m five,” said a little chap.

“I’m Kobe!” said a particularly energetic boy.

“Anong age mo, Kobe?” I asked the little guy.

“Kuya! Ang pogi mo!” he yelled out, without any interest in answering my initial inquiry.

Taking the interesting route rather than the easy one, I decided to mix up the second session’s agenda from the first – kicking things off with a lively warm-up drill.

“Okay guys, let’s form a line and now, run behind me!” I said, as we all sprinted in single-file order.

“Now, stop! Aaaaaaand pose!” I yelled out, as our little kindergarteners all hit a quick little pose for the nonexistent paparazzi.

“Run again! Aaaaand pose ulit (again)!” I yelled.

I laughed as I spotted young Kobe, who opted to pose by putting his hand under his chin like so many little Pinoy kids do.

“Look, Coach! Pogi din ako!” (I’m handsome too!) he said, beaming from ear to ear.

Warm-up successfully completed, it was time to move on to some real footy. We hit our dribbling drill, we ran ball control grids, and I even attempted to hit a round of “ulo o kamay” though I knew it might be beyond their brain computing capacity.

Brains buffering, we broke off for a water and snack break, as little Kobe took his snack over to the wing where Coach Rron and I were sitting.

“Alam mo, Kobe, mas pogi ka kay ako,” (You know, Kobe, you are more handsome than I am) I said.

His eyes got big, and he spoke with the bluntness that only a toddler could. “Oo nga no?” (wait, you’re right) he said, with a grin, realizing that I wasn’t wrong at all.

“Mas pogi ako kase mamaya may prize ako!” (I’m more handsome because I will have a prize later!) he yelled out.

Me and Rronyth couldn’t help but belly-laugh at the interaction.

With our second session wrapped up in another 90 minutes, I was pleasantly surprised that Mrs. Kimberly had ordered lunch for the three of us. With the McDonald’s meals laid out nicely on the kids’ desks, I couldn’t wait to dig in. Sadly, they’d have to wait a bit longer because we were being summoned to the court to hit our last of three sessions. The time was 11:00 and if we didn’t run this one now, we wouldn’t be able to use the court until past 12:30. “Tara na!” (Let’s go!) I yelled out, closing the lid on my McDo and running over to the court with my footballs in tow.

I won’t lie, the first two sessions were fun and honestly, the kids were extremely well-behaved. They were quiet and respectful and it had made my job very easy, but this third session was the one I was looking most forward to. The school’s PE teacher had caught wind of the kindergarteners’ football sessions and was hoping I had time to accommodate some of her older students for an impromptu class.

“Sure!” I answered, hoping I might have enough gear to give them some prizes afterwards.

Making my way to the court, I saw them standing there with their fitness teacher. Third grade boys, all of ten years old.

“Siuuuuuuu!” one of them yelled out, catching my arrival to the court, all while doing Ronaldo’s signature celly.

“Look, Coach!” said another, doing Messi’s celebration, instead.

“Me too!” yelled a third, hitting an Mbappe jawn.

This group, just like the two that preceded it, was fantastic. The numbers were slim, yes, with only seven boys in attendance, but the skill certainly was not slim. We were all on the same page about the situation, knowing the program was to last barely thirty minutes. The kids met me with their full attention, as we moved seamlessly from drill to drill, spending barely six minutes on each exercise. First, a dribbling warm-up. Next, ball control grids. Finally, 1v1s at corresponding color goals – extracting the very best out of all the boys – highlighting listening, coordination, attack, and defense, with a little dash of competitiveness, too.

Luckily, since the first two sessions had run a bit light, I had prizes for all the boys and a very special one for one winner. That boy, Caleb, had emerged victorious in our single round of Ulo o Kamay. I couldn’t be happier to see him left as the last one standing, considering he had taken an unfortunate spill during 1v1s, resulting in some untimely laughs from some onlooking students.

Jokes on them though! For he got the last laugh, leaving the session with a brand new football under his arm.

“Congratulations young man,” I said, extending my arm for a high five.

We snapped a group picture and before I could pack up my gear, one of the third graders stopped me, with a look of pride on his face.

“Kuya, alam mo? (You know what, Kuya?) When I grow up, I want to be a football coach… just like you,” he said.

I was touched. I thanked the boys’ PE teacher for her help and found my way back to Mrs. Kimberly’s classroom for a debrief as well as our long-awaited McDonald’s feast. As I walked through the classroom door, I was met with a sweet moment as a father had arrived to pick up one of our later arrivals to the second session. A spoonful of chicken and rice still in my hand, I watched the boy walk out of the classroom holding his wrist up with pride.

“Look dad! May bracelet ako dito!” (Look dad! I have a bracelet here!) he yelled out. I couldn’t help but smile.

That smile only grew wider as I recounted the session to our trusty Bayanan Elementary School contact, Mrs. Kimberly.

“Alam mo, Ma’am Kim… this is fully dependent on feedback mo, but I would love to do another session here with some more of the students in June or July,” I said, reiterating once again just how behaved the kids were earlier in the day, certainly a testament to her work as their teacher.

“That would be such a blessing!” she said.

“Actually, do you mind if we go see the principal? Just to discuss that possibility,” she said.

Luckily, the principal agreed. Evidently, the school holds sports events annually, but it’s always the ‘big’ ones like basketball, volleyball, etc.

“We’ve never been able to have our very own football team, so this is such a blessing for us,” Principal Joan said, all while looking down at the bagged up 15 footballs I was leaving with the school.

Her gratitude wasn’t just limited to that, however. She extended her arm for a handshake, before handing both Rronyth and I certificates of appreciation from the school. Having been told by Mrs. Kimberly that the school’s sports department was lacking some important resources (for reference, they only had one volleyball), I was overjoyed with the opportunity to help. Plus, I could feel just how appreciative they were for the free sports session we had held and the precious resources we’d left behind.

Today was a celebration from top to bottom. This included the eight page Around the Worlds brochure sitting on Mrs. Kimberly’s desk, which was printed out ahead of time to show the principal in hopes that today’s sessions would not be the only ones of their kind. Additionally, the parents who had so happily helped as their children learned, and hopefully, fell in love with a brand new sport. And finally, the multiple pieces of 8.5 x 11 paper printed out to form a makeshift mural on the stage, with our Around the Worlds logo at the center.

It was a day for celebration and honestly, an absolutely perfect start to 2026 programming.