Rampaging Fullback: The Philippine Sports Stadium experience
On April 15, 2015, fans were finally able to see actual working electronic scoreboards in a football stadium in the Philippines.
Not just one, but two, located on both ends of the field, were used in the Philippine Sports Stadium in Bulacan which hosted its very first football game when Global FC notched a historic 4-1 win over Yadanarbon of Myanmar in the Asian Football Confederation Cup.
Fans used to the mediocrity of the dilapidated facilities at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium were in for a treat, as the Philippine Sports Stadium featured functioning washrooms (with running water), seats with wheelchair access and a scoreboard that really showed how many minutes were left in the game.
All these features are the very basic requirements for any self-respecting stadium, but it just shows how low the bar has been set that fans are giddy with anticipation for the stadium in Bocaue, Bulacan.
The football renaissance that started in Hanoi in 2010 has now led us to here -– a spanking new 25,000-seater football stadium worthy of hosting international games.
Azkals coach Thomas Dooley certainly likes what he sees: “Beautiful, beautiful stadium. I really love it,” he said.
“It’s loud, it’s good. So you hear (the crowd) and you get pushed, I love it. It’s great, you just have to fill it up.”
But there’s one question: If you can’t fill up a stadium in downtown Manila, how do you even expect to fill up a stadium 28 kilometers away, outside Metro Manila that is?
Thomas Dooley has a few suggestions.
“We have to find the right day, Saturday or Sunday so it’s not too much traffic”, said Dooley, who added that fans trooping to the venue should also get to enjoy attending the match even outside the stadium.
“In my opinion, we have to have an event here. Outside, we have a huge parking lot. (We should) do something for the kids, do something like a fair, (with) games that you can play. Inflatable slides where they can slide, all those things -– it’s like an amusement park.
“People might be allowed maybe a barbeque, I don’t know if it is allowed here, but it’s what people do in the US. They can have an event.
“The national team is playing, the game is at 4 p.m., I’m going on a Saturday, I’m going at noon and I’m going to be early and spend time with my family here.
“So when the national team plays, it’s not just sitting two hours in the car and then watching the game and then driving back home. It is something that as a family, let’s spend the whole day together.
“I would like to watch a game, but I don’t want to sit longer in a car than watching the whole game.
“You have to get more into how to get the people in here with an event for the family for the whole day, not just for one hour and a half of watching the game.”
Organizers also have to sort out the proper entry into the venue.
A lighted Philippine Stadium is an exhilarating sight for fans coming from NLEX, yet that excitement gives way to annoyance as one is informed that the direct northbound expressway exit leading to the stadium has been closed to traffic since 6 p.m. of an 8 p.m. game, forcing fans to take the circuitous route via the traffic-infested Bocaue exit.
Parking lots are a distance away from the stadium, and a fleet of golf cars are needed to transport fans from the parking areas to the stadium proper.
The Philippine Football Federation has stated its intentions to have the Philippine Stadium host the Azkals’ 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, starting with the home match on June against Bahrain. Aside from some lighting issues, the venue seems to be ready for that.
Two thousand fans were witness to Mark Hartmann and Global FC’s triumph; it is hoped that when June 11 rolls around, that number will increase substantially.
After all, we now have a top-class facility to match top-caliber football players. It’s now up to top-quality fans to come and support our teams.
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