AS THE country’s economy flounders due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Filipinos are left to feel the effects every day. Likewise, the sports world is not exempted from the pandemic’s reeling effects. Following an unfortunate series of tournament cancellations and training bans, the loss of livelihoods trickled down to the very people whose lives depended on athletics.

Due to the University Athletic Association of the Philippines’ (UAAP) league-wide cancellation for Season 82, the Ateneo Men’s Football Team (AMFT) and the Ateneo Women’s Football Team (AWFT) watched as beloved staff members of their teams were forced to walk away from the game.

In response, the football teams have collaborated to create the semester-long donation drive Play Your Part. This project seeks to provide financial support for the former members of their staff: AWFT’s kitman Jonathan “Kuya Jonathan” Musnit, AMFT’s kitman Joel “Kuya Rafa” Rafa, and the AMFT’s physical therapist, CJ “PT CJ” De Villa. For their part, both the AMFT and the AWFT have been doing their best to give back to the families that have supported them both on and off the field.

First on the field

Before the pandemic, the AWFT always had one constant factor every time they stepped onto the field—Kuya Jonathan hyping up the team from the sidelines and calling each and every one of them his idols. As the team’s kitman, Kuya Jonathan was in charge of setting up the equipment for the teams’ training and ensuring that everything was in order. Furthermore, Kuya Jonathan’s decade-long tenure as AWFT’s kitman meant his relationship with the team went beyond a working relationship. “[Kuya Jonathan is] that underrated, behind-the-scenes guy that just brings so much motivation and inspiration also for the team,” said AWFT Team Captain Jill Panganiban.

Similar to Kuya Jonathan, AMFT’s kitman Kuya Rafa was also a critical contributor to his team. Although his role may seem minimal to people outside the team, Kuya Rafa was one of the team’s more dedicated members. AMFT Captain Aj Arcilla recounted the times when Kuya Rafa would watch the team warm up for a match and how he was always ready with a bottle of water or Gatorade afterwards.

Furthermore, Kuya Rafa’s contributions to AMFT surpassed the technicalities of his role. Despite serving as the AMFT’s kitman for only two years, he managed to develop a quality relationship with the entire team through his humorous and light-hearted demeanor. 

“He’ll always make the team laugh somehow in training… I know he works hard because he’s always the first guy out on the field along with the coach to help him set up,” shared Arcilla as he remembered the times when Kuya Rafa would run and flail his arms around as the rest of the team did sprints. Now that the team is adjusting to the online setting, Kuya Rafa’s emotional support is sorely missed.

A healing hand

While Kuya Jonathan and Kuya Rafa kept the morale up with their positivity and emotional support, PT CJ helped the players rise up from their injuries. From sore muscles to career-ending injuries, PT CJ was always there to provide a healing hand. 

As a physical therapist, PT CJ was tasked to make sure that the injured players received the best treatment that they needed to recover. Although he officially worked for the AMFT, he frequently assisted the women’s team as well when their physical therapist was unavailable.

Despite not being as openly supportive as Kuya Jonathan and Kuya Rafa, PT CJ’s love for the team and his all-out support was still evident behind his banter. “For me, he’s kind of that tough love kind of guy,” said Panganiban. Panganiban and Arcilla recalled how PT CJ used to sarcastically question them whenever they approached him for treatment, wondering whether they were really hurt or looking for excuses to get out of practice.

Beyond PT CJ’s sarcastically-hardened shell, both the AMFT and the AWFT knew that he always had their backs. “If you are actually injured, oh man, he’ll really turn into that super caring [guy]. He’d really be so hands on with you, making sure you’re recovering at the best rate possible, being taken care of and recovering so well, and that’s the way it goes,” explained Panganiban.

Even with the lack of on-site football practices, both teams have seen their fair share of injuries that amplify the absence of PT CJ. “People really underestimate online training, but it can get really tiring,” said Panganiban. With cases of groin injuries, back spasms, and twisted ankles, both Panganiban and Arcilla wished they had PT CJ’s expertise to help them recover from injuries more easily.

Given the difficulty of transitioning to online training, the AMFT and AWFT missed the presence of the people who have been supporting them throughout the years. With the absences of Kuya Rafa, Kuya Jonathan, and PT CJ amplified, both teams knew they had to give back to the people who have poured their hearts out to support them. It was time for them to play their part.

Play Your Part

The AMFT and the AWFT’s Play Your Part—a semester-long donation drive for Kuya Jonathan, Kuya Rafa, and PT CJ—is their shared way of giving back. Through the AMFT’s Facebook page the teams’ supporters are provided with three different platforms to donate. Arcilla noted that for those who cannot donate, supporting the donation drive by liking and sharing the social media posts are more than enough. “These are the people that help us perform at our best and basically allow us to play the game that we love. So if you’re supporting us, you should be supporting them, and this is the way to support them,” said Arcilla.

The roles that Kuya Rafa, Kuya Jonathan, PT CJ played for the team stretch beyond the game of football. For Arcilla, Panganiban, and the rest of the two football teams, they were not only brothers and sisters when they stepped foot on the grass, they were also a family off the field.