MP United donates to GES

MP United officials and Garapan Elementary School staff and students pose with the football club’s donated paper products during a turnover ceremony last Friday at the GES office. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

MP United Football Club turned over donated paper products to Garapan Elementary School last Friday.

Club president Vickie Izuka, vice president Lydia Tan, technical director Norman del Rosario, and general secretary Ana Hilario led the turnover ceremony, while GES vice principal Derwin Johnson and staff Laura Matsunaga received the donation and were joined by some students.

“The club asked every family from our U8 to U18 players to come out with the donations for this paper drives. We started this paper drives at MPU rally since February. We are very thankful to the MPU family for these donations,” Tan said.

“We’re grateful to MP United Football Club for their generosity. These paper products will be used by our students and staff,” Johnson said.

MP United has been making donations to the Home of the Mallards for the past three years to strengthen their partnership and thank Garapan for accommodating the club’s players during games and practices. In the past, MP United donated books and soccer balls to Garapan.

Just late last month, the Mallards field hosted the exhibition games between MP United and its sister club Vivid Blue of Saipan. The school also allowed some players from the visiting team to join a cultural exchange program with its students.

“GES supports out soccer program by allowing us to use the school field for practices and friendly games,” Tan said.

Meanwhile, the exhibition matches between Vivid Blue and MP United helped the latter’s players practice what they learned from coaching and referee clinics.

Kennedy Izuka and John Diego Masga coached the co-ed U12 A and B teams that challenged the visiting squad. Both players passed the NMIFA D license coaching course CNMI coach and NMIFA technical director Kiyoshi Sekiguchi conducted before the spring season. Other MP United U18 and U15 players officiated the games.

“We are grateful to these young coaches as they help the club further enhance player development at the oldest grassroots ages and the younger competitive teams. Chris Park is assistant coach for U18 boys, Jehn Joyner is the assistant coaches for U15 boys, Enrico del Rosario and Kyle Chung are the coaches for U15 girls. All of them passed the D license course,” Vickie Izuka said in an earlier email to Saipan Tribune.