Office of sports clubs: Developing and cultivating new ventures

Last October saw several sports clubs manning booths at the Henry Sy Sr. grounds for their first ever annual recruitment. With 14 different organizations to choose from, potential recruits had a difficult time in picking which clubs best suit their interests. Despite requiring the payment of membership fees much like other professional organizations within the University, these clubs offer a different experience to those who decide to join their ranks.

Behind these 14 groups is the Office of Sports Clubs, headed by its Director, Solomon Padiz. A relatively new entity in the campus, the office is tasked with overseeing the activities of the said clubs. For this article, The LaSallian sat down with Padiz to ask about the specific functions of his office and what it has gone through so far.

A brief history

Most of the sports clubs that Lasallians know today were not originally regarded as “clubs”. Due to the Lasallian schools’ policy on having only one varsity team per sport for each school, the varsity teams from DLSU-Science and Technology Complex (DLSU-STC) were dissolved since the integration of DLSU-STC and DLSU-Manila in 2013. In line with that, the varsity teams were diverted into clubs or were merged with the existing groups in the main campus.

“Meron nang varsity dito so impractical magka-varsity sa STC since we’re one school,” Padiz explains. “Ideally, para siyang varsity team, it just so happens that the title is not a varsity team but a sports club. Kasi very few ang events na meron sa varsity. The reason they became a club is only because there is no UAAP event for that certain sport.”

The unification of campuses also led to the merging of the two Sports Development offices. Since the Manila branch houses all of the varsity teams, it was Padiz’s department in STC that was tasked to handle the clubs, thus the birth of the Office of Sports Clubs.

Volleyball, Frisbee, Flag Football, Futsal, Floorball, Triathlon, and the Ironworks clubs were added to the original seven clubs, which are Dragon Boat, Wushu, Archery, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Judo, Karate, and Muay Thai.

Progress and problems

Some sports clubs have also encountered a number of issues throughout the years. Since a lot of students have already been using the Enrique M. Razon Sports Center for their respective activities, clubs have had problems dealing with the shortage of facilities. To counter this, the office has been working with the club officers in reserving facilities inside and outside of the school.

Sports clubs are for the students and by the students, so their success as a club is solely reliant on its members. The clubs have not been clearly organized and Padiz suggests that they need to have sets of officers, constitutions and bylaws, and an organized structure.

“Before they become an official club, they have to undergo the proper procedures. It’s not a fly-by-night program wherein gusto mo na ngayon, pero next term wala na. Yun yung iniiwasan natin,” he says on his proposal.

So in his first year in office, Padiz decided to put all clubs under probation. This is so he could monitor each group’s progress in terms of formation, recruitment, and planning. Only after the clubs satisfy the requirements can they finally be recognized as official DLSU organizations. Since his main office is in Canlubang, he visits his other office in the Taft campus twice a week to attend to his duties.

Aside from those concerns, sports clubs have also had problems when it comes to sources of funds. Basically, funds only come from the membership fees each member pays upon joining, resulting in a tight budget that forces them to look for more sponsors to increase their annual expenditures and may even limit the number of activities clubs can do.

Bright future

Looking forward, Padiz is very excited with how sports clubs are growing within the University. Besides anticipating an increasing number of groups applying for club recognition, he also hopes that their proposed annual budget will finally push through so that funding will no longer be a problem and more programs can be implemented.

Another thing he attributes to the bright future of sports organizations is the K-12 program, which will create revisions in the student curriculum, particularly in the Physical Education Department.

“Wala nang PE, so next year wala nang mag-enroll. Most likely, next year, students will be looking for an activity, especially in college. Wala nang PE, so what will they do? The sports clubs will be there to cater to their needs for recreational activities,” he says.

All in all, Padiz states that this has been a wonderful learning experience for both him and the clubs. He looks forward to seeing the office grow along with the organization as they seek further recognition from the school and the Lasallian community.