Adding Bacolod City and Negros Occidental onto Asia’s football map has always been a dream for Yanson siblings, Ricky Jr. and Leo Rey. Passionate about the sport, they tried to make it a reality not only for them but for Filipinos to take pride in seeing their country represented in the international arena.

In 2011, Leo Rey, known as LRY by many, bankrolled a team of young players from different colleges and universities in Bacolod City and Negros Occidental to compete in the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) Suzuki Under-23 National Cup – they went on to win the national title, beating regional archrival Iloilo.

Seeing the potential, LRY, together with some of the best football coaches in Bacolod City, formed Ceres-La Salle Football Club in 2012 to represent the city in national tournaments. The club went on to conquer big names in the PFF National Men’s Club Championship, where they were tagged as “giant killers.”

After winning the League Cup in 2014, the club represented the country in an international tournament for the first time, qualifying for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President’s Cup in Bacolod City and finishing third in their group.

Despite the loss, LRY strengthened his roster and finished runner-up in the now-defunct United Football League (UFL), which qualified the club for the 2015 AFC Cup qualifying playoff, where they lost 1-0 to Maziya S&RC of the Maldives.

The road to glory wasn’t easy but it was all worth it after Ceres-La Salle FC completed another UFL runner-up finish and qualified for the 2016 AFC Cup, making it all the way to the round of 16, where they lost 1-0 to Hong Kong’s South China AA.

LRY brought in more experienced players to give his club even more opportunity to make a name in Asia. Revamping the club into Ceres-Negros FC last year, they have since dominated the ASEAN region, winning the 2017 AFC Cup zonal finals after defeating Home United FC of Singapore, 3-2 on aggregate. They went on to advance to that year’s inter-zone playoff semifinals, but lost to 5-1 on aggregate to FC Istiklol of Tajikistan.

Ceres FC also won the inaugural Philippines Football League season, which earned them the opportunity to compete in the 2018 AFC Champions League qualifying playoffs, where they triumphed over Shan United FC of Myanmar and the Brisbane Roar of the A-League before losing 2-0 to Chinese Super League club Tianjin Quanjian FC. The loss, however, brought the club back to the AFC Cup, where they wound up in the zonal finals to defend their title, but, in the end, lost to the same Singaporean outfit, routed 3-1 on aggregate.

In order to develop aspiring footballers, LRY and his team created the Ceres Cup in 2014. The event also provides for the encouragement and promotion of football development in Bacolod City and its environs.

The Ceres Cup, now on its fifth year, continues to break records in terms of participation, rising from 306 at the start to 532 today. In addition, the event also attracts around 10,000 parents and delegation officials.

LRY and his efforts have also been showered with honors including the Philippine Sportswriters Association Citation and recognition from the Department of Tourism for organizing a sporting event showcasing tourism potential.

Meanwhile, Ricky Jr. spearheads the province’s grassroots football development.

Aside from staging age-group tournaments, the elder Yanson, who heads the Negros Occidental Football Association, also conducts seminars for parents and coaches.

Recognizing their contribution to youth and sports development, the Yansons were recently honored by the province, named among the “most outstanding Negrenses.”

Although, despite their success in football, the siblings remain humble and keep to themselves behind the scenes./JSG, WDJ