There is a certain sound you hear in Tagbilaran before the whistle blows.
It’s the thud of a ball striking bare earth—the laughter of children racing toward a dream bigger than their city. The quiet, steady voice of a coach reminding them that character matters more than trophies.
And in the golden light of a Bohol afternoon, something fierce begins to stir.
They call it the Green Dragons.
Born in Bohol, Forged by Purpose
In 2023, on the training grounds of Tagbilaran City, a grassroots club took its first breath. It didn’t begin with headlines or grand facilities. It began with conviction.
Coach Grace Antipolo saw what many overlooked: young players hungry not just for football, but for guidance. She built Green Dragons Football Club on a foundation stronger than talent: discipline, respect, teamwork, and love for the game.
This wasn’t about creating stars.
It was about shaping citizens.
“Every child deserves a place to grow,” the club believes.
And in a country where basketball dominates playgrounds, choosing football is already an act of courage.
Why Dragons?
Dragons are not creatures of comfort.
They are symbols of courage, resilience, and fire.
Green — the color of growth — represents steady development, patience, and hope.
Together, Green Dragons is not just a name. It is a declaration:
We rise through discipline. We grow through unity.
In grassroots football, growth is rarely explosive. It is quiet. It is steady. It is earned one drill at a time.
Small Beginnings, Strong Foundations
Training twice a week, Fridays and Saturdays at 3 PM, the early sessions focused on the fundamentals:
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- First touch
- Passing accuracy
- Team coordination
- Respect for the whistle
- Respect for one another
From a handful of committed kids, the club slowly expanded. Parents noticed something remarkable: their children weren’t just improving on the pitch. They were becoming more confident in school. More disciplined at home. More respectful in conversation.
Football was doing what great sports always do, it was shaping identity.
Today, Green Dragons develops players across three age brackets:
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- 7–10 years old
- 11–13 years old
- 14–16 years old
Every child gets an equal opportunity. No favoritism. No shortcuts. Just work.
Testing the Fire
For a club founded in 2023, Green Dragons did not hesitate to compete. They stepped into tournaments like:
- 7s Cebu Tournament
- Saulog Football Tournament
- Sandugo Football Tournament
- City Meet
- Bohol Football Association Interschool Tournament
And the medals began to come.
- 🥈 1 Silver & 🥉 2 Bronze – City Meet
- 🥈 BOHFA Interschool U12 – Silver Medal
But ask Coach Grace what matters most, and she won’t mention medals.
She will talk about effort.
About unity.
About players learning to lose with dignity and win with humility.
That is the true trophy.
A Community Movement
Green Dragons is no longer just a football club.
It is a safe space in Bohol.
Parents show up. Schools coordinate. Teammates support each other beyond the pitch. From beach gatherings to post-match bonding, the club breathes like a family.
Their motto captures it perfectly:
One Club. One Heart. One Goal.
In a country still fighting for football’s rightful place in the sporting landscape, this kind of unity is powerful.
Because grassroots football is not built by sponsors alone.
It is built by mothers packing snacks.
By fathers driving tricycles to training.
By coaches volunteering hours under the sun.
This is the real engine of Philippine football.
The Challenges Ahead
Like many young Philippine clubs, Green Dragons faces real obstacles:
- Balancing academics and training
- Limited equipment and funding
- Access to advanced coaching development
- Sustaining long-term growth
But here’s the truth about dragons:
They don’t fear storms.
They learn to fly through them.
Over the next three years, the club aims to:
- Strengthen coaching education
- Expand age-group programs
- Compete consistently at the regional level
- Build pathways to higher football platforms
- Establish a sustainable grassroots model in Bohol
It is not an easy mission.
But nothing worth building ever is.
A Message to Young Filipino Dreamers
If you are a young footballer reading this somewhere in the Philippines, from Luzon to Mindanao, remember this:
Talent may open the door.
Discipline keeps it open.
Show up. Train with purpose. Respect your teammates. Respect the game.
And never underestimate the power of small beginnings.
Because somewhere in Tagbilaran City, a group of young players started with nothing but a ball and belief.
Now they carry the spirit of dragons.
OneFutbol Salute Green Dragons Football Club
OneFutbol proudly salutes Green Dragons Football Club for igniting the flame of grassroots football in Bohol.
In a nation where football is still rising, clubs like Green Dragons are the quiet architects of the future. They prove that the strength of Philippine football will not come from one superstar — it will come from hundreds of disciplined, values-driven grassroots programs across our islands.
To Coach Grace, to the parents, and to every young Dragon wearing green with pride:
You are not just building a team.
You are building the next generation of Filipino football.
And the nation is watching.
📩 Interested in joining or supporting Green Dragons Football Club?
Connect with them on Facebook at Green Dragons FC or send an email to greendragonsf.club@gmail.com
Keep rising, Green Dragons.
The fire has only just begun.
