TULAD ni Santa Claus, na kumakatawan sa walang katapusang kasiyahan, itinuturing ngayon ng madaming mga bata sa Tuloy Foundation si Fr. Marciano “Rocky” Evangelista, SDB, bilang kanilang “Santa Football.”

Sa Tuloy Foundation, ipinamalas ni Fr. Rocky ang magandang katangian na kinakailangan upang magbigay liwanag sa kinabukasan ng mga bata sa pamamagitan ng football at futsal.

At kamakailan, nasungkit ng Tuloy Foundation women’s futsal team ang kanilang ika-apat na championship sa High 5 Women’s Futsal League, matapos ang 8-1 panalo.

Ang naturang panalo ay bahagi ng master plan na isinusulong ni Fr. Rocky bilang paghahanda sa 2025 Women’s Futsal World Cup.

Kabilang sa team ang apat na players, na kumatawan sa bansa sa nalipas na ASEAN Women’s Futsal Chammpionship: Isabella Bandoja, na nagsilbi ding team captain; Lanie Ortillo, Louraine Evangelista, at Mykaella Abeto.

“Before I came to Tuloy, I was a little girl in Tondo, begging for money and looking for food and scraps. All I knew back then was how to survive. But because of Tuloy, I was able to learn and found a passion for football and futsal. That has changed my life. Because of Fr. Rocky and Tuloy, I was able to achieve my dream of becoming a national team player,” paliwanag ni Ortillo, na tinanghal na MVP at Top Scorer sa dalawang sunod na season.

Malaki din ang kontribusyon sa panalo nina Evangelista,15, na naging kinatawan na din ng bansa sa U17 and U20 women’s football; at Abeto, na siya ngayong top futsal goalkeeper.

Matagumpay din ang Tuloy FC men’s team, na kinabibilangan ng 24 players sa U23 Youth Development Team ng Philippine Football League (PFL).

Kabilang sa mga ito sina Tuloy FC captain Harry James “Noti: Nuñez, Jhon Henson Diaz, Cyrelle James Saut, and John Loyd Jalique,.

Ang coaching staff ng Tuloy Foundation ay pinangungunahan ni Coach Taketomo Suzuki, kasama ang kanyang ilang dating players.

“We extend our deepest gratitude to the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) for their unwavering support in advancing football and futsal in the country. Special thanks go to PFF President John Gutierrez, Technical Director Joseph Ferer, and the entire PFF team for believing in the potential of our youth. Together, we are building a legacy of excellence and opportunity for the next generation of Filipino athletes,” pahayag pa ni Fr. Rocky.