A four-decade journey of discipline, unity, and community-driven football excellence in Negros Occidental.
There are places in the Philippines where football is played for medals. Then there is Barangay Dancalan—a place where football is played for identity, dignity, and home. Along the coastal winds of Ilog, Negros Occidental, where the afternoons are painted gold and the streets echo with the laughter of children, a football legacy took root more than four decades ago. In 1981, long before football festivals and academies grew across the province, one man planted a seed that would change a community. Benigno “Boy” Gequillana didn’t have a blueprint. He didn’t have funding. What he had was something stronger— faith in the next generation. He saw young boys kicking makeshift balls on dusty roads and believed they deserved more than a pastime — they deserved a platform. From that belief, Dancalan Football Club was born.
A Name that Carries a Barrio
Dancalan Football Club isn’t just named after the barangay. It embodies it. The club’s story is woven through the narrow streets where children chase dreams, through fields that doubled as classrooms, and through families who had little but gave everything they could. “We didn’t have much—no manicured field, no big sponsors,” says General Secretary John Mark Cordova. “But we had heart. And here, heart is enough to begin.”
In Dancalan, football became more than a sport.
It became a rite of passage.
A second family.
A reason to stay grounded, focused, and hopeful.
Parents who could not afford boots offered encouragement. Siblings took turns carrying equipment.
Coaches sacrificed time, travel, and sleep because when a community believes in a dream, the dream refuses to die.
Football for All, Football for Life
Today, Dancalan Football Club stands as one of Negros’ most inclusive grassroots programs—open to every child and every dream:
- 7–10 years old
- 11–13 years old
- 14–16 years old
- 17 & above
- Men’s Open
- Girls’ Open
Training happens almost daily. Not because anyone forces it, but because the children come—
rain or shine, tired or not, with or without gadgets.
The field is their meeting place.
Their playground.
Their home.
Some children cannot be reached by text or call. But once the sun touches the grass in Dancalan, they appear— ready to learn, ready to run, ready to chase the life football promises.
The Dancalan Way: Built on Hard Truths
The heart of the club beats with five pillars:
Hardship. Discipline. One Family. Patriotism. A strong game mentality.
“You can teach technique,” John Mark Cordova shares, “but character—that’s what wins futures.”
The club is anchored by licensed mentors Coach Jory Sanchez and Coach John Mark Cordova, both PFF D-Licensed coaches who bring structure, respect, and purpose to every session.
For them, coaching is not a job. It is a mission.
Programs that Open Doors Wider
Despite having minimal resources, Dancalan Football Club offers programs some bigger clubs struggle to sustain:
- Girls’ & Women’s Football
- Goalkeeper Pathway
- Futsal Development
- School-Based Grassroots Sessions
- Inclusive Training for Youth with Special Needs
And here is the most powerful part:
No training fees. No barriers. No child turned away.
Talent is nurtured by passion, not by money.
And love—pure, volunteer-driven love—keeps the club alive.
Carrying a Barangay into a Battle
Dancalan Football Club has proudly carried its small barangay to some of the biggest stages in Philippine grassroots football:
- Secret FC Cup (Manila)
- MassKara Cup
- Ceres Cup
- Pintaflores Football Festival
- Dumaguete Football Festival
- Pontevedra Football Festival
- Bago City Football Festival
- Kabankalan, Isabela, La Carlota & Bacolod Football Festivals
And in one of their proudest moments, Dancalan Football Club—together with Pontevedra—qualified to represent the South Area of Negros Occidental in the NOCFA Champions League Round of 8.
But the real trophies?
Players who became varsity scholars.
Children who learned discipline instead of discovering vices.
Families who cheered until their voices broke.
A community that found pride through football.
Beyond the Lines of the Field
The greatest victories of Dancalan Football Club happen off the pitch.
Kids rediscover childhood without gadgets.
Friends grow into brothers and sisters.
Drug temptations lose their grip on the youth.
Schools become partners in empowerment.
Parents become the heartbeat of every tournament.
Local government support may be limited, but the community makes up for it with unity, love, and grit. And sometimes, that is more powerful than any budget.
The Moment that Says it All
Ask anyone about the most emotional moment in Dancalan Football Club history, and they’ll tell you the same story: One afternoon, after bringing home medals from a football festival, the children walked up to their coach.
One by one, they placed their medals around his neck.
No sponsor to thank.
No big speech.
Just children honoring the man who believed in them.
It was the purest form of gratitude and the clearest proof that victory is measured in hearts, not pesos.
Where Joy is the Language
This is Dancalan Football Club.
A club where laughter fills every drill.
Where bonding at the beach is as important as passing drills.
Where humility runs deeper than rivalry.
Where the chant “Barangay Can Play” echoes across the field like a promise.
This is more than football.
This is a culture.
A way of life.
A home shaped by love, discipline, and shared dreams.
The Road Ahead: Hope Carries them Forward
The dreams are big:
- To produce more varsity scholars
- To help players finish their education
- To keep football alive for decades
- To show local government that supporting youth sports is an investment, not an expense
But so are the challenges:
- Limited funds
- Families with very modest incomes
- Lack of field maintenance equipment
- Travel becoming difficult for many kids
Still, the belief remains unshaken:
If Dancalan can compete with big-city teams using pure heart, imagine what they could do with proper support.
OneFutbol’s Salute
Dancalan Football Club is proof that greatness doesn’t need grand stadiums, perfect fields, or wealthy backers. Greatness grows where passion refuses to surrender. To the coaches who give until they have nothing left, to the parents who cheer like it’s the World Cup,
to the players who show up every day with their dreams in their pockets— OneFutbol stands with you. You are the soul of Filipino football.
Join the Dancalan Movement
Be part of their story.
Walk with them.
Support them.
Believe in them.
- Dancalan Football Club — Facebook Page
- Contact: John Mark Cordova — 0956 640 2772
- Email: dancalanfootballclub@gmail.com
Because in this small barangay in Negros Occidental, football is not just played.
It is lived.
It is loved.
It is home.
