Post by imb on May 30, 2024 13:01:10 GMT 8
Introduction:
First of all I'm just happy that there is a Pinoy forum discussing football in the PH .
Hindi po ako expert sa sport and the only reason I'm into it now is because my 9 yr old son plays a competitive football in Melbourne. Because of that my life revolves around the sport now, there's not a day that pass by that won't involve soccer.
The goal of this post is NOT ONLY to share my experience during our vacation Dec 23 and Jan 24. But also hopefully one day, this will be seen by the powers that may be in the PH because there are kids that dream big and want to play in the Big Stage but can't due to lack of support/training/facilities.
Context:
It was more than 10 yrs since I haven't been home but we were so excited, excited more for our son for him to finally meet with his cousins and our relatives in PH and him seeing how beautiful the country is. Because my son plays for a club, I need to make sure that he still gets he's training even whilst on vacation. I brought all sorts of gears - agility poles, 6 soccer balls, goals, etc. To make sure we have a place to train, we booked accomodation in different places to try them out.
Facilities:
In Manila, we've booked New Coast Hotel, they don't have a pitch but there's quite a space within their pool are that we are able to train. "Nagpaalam lang kami sa mabait na lifeguard duon".
We were looking for a pitch so I inquired Rizal Memorial so my son and I could train. Unfortunately, the people I spoke to told us that all the pitch and areas are fully booked already. I asked even for just a tiny grassy area that surely would be available but they said none. Then we said fine, because our next accomodation will be close to the pitch anyway.
Move on to our AirbnB in BGC Soccer Field. We were so excited to see the pitch, at night it's full of different nationalities playing and enjoying the game. When we walked the next morning, the pitch was empty except for a guard who's looking after it. We inquired. We were told that we need to book the whole pitch for PHP 8k for an hour or so (can't exactly remember how long). I told "kuya we don't need po the whole pitch, I just need an area where my son and I could train". In fairness to the guard who is so respectful, he told us to inquire with the Admin. We called the Admin and they said no, we need to book the whole pitch. Then we saw a park in BGC where there's a nice grassy area, unfortunately its surrounded by a tread (or alambre sa atin) meaning no one's allowed to go inside. We were so disappointed that time because we couldnt train.
Then we moved on to our next accomodation which is Blue Pitch in Makati. Similar to the BGC Pitch, it is empty but guarded. We were also told to book the entire pitch - I'm feeling shattered at this time but I don't want my son to see it. We found a park across the Ayala Circuit Mall and we were so excited finally long last we would be able to train. Then the guard approach us to say "Sir bawal po at me concert mamaya". I just don't know what to say at this point. I told the guard, kuya we just need a small pace to do passing etc. but we were shooed away.
These are just a couple of our experiences around facilities and I could go on and on but I would stop from here. My heart bleeds for those kids who love the sport but because we don't have the facility and training available, they end up having to give up/leave the sport. Especially for those kids who can't afford to go to big schools (i.e Ateneo, La Salle, etc). Soccer in PH is light years behind in so many aspects - facilities, grass roots training, etc. It is my dream to see PH become not only competitive, but a powerhouse in the sport but in order for that to happen, SO MUCH has to be done!
First of all I'm just happy that there is a Pinoy forum discussing football in the PH .
Hindi po ako expert sa sport and the only reason I'm into it now is because my 9 yr old son plays a competitive football in Melbourne. Because of that my life revolves around the sport now, there's not a day that pass by that won't involve soccer.
The goal of this post is NOT ONLY to share my experience during our vacation Dec 23 and Jan 24. But also hopefully one day, this will be seen by the powers that may be in the PH because there are kids that dream big and want to play in the Big Stage but can't due to lack of support/training/facilities.
Context:
It was more than 10 yrs since I haven't been home but we were so excited, excited more for our son for him to finally meet with his cousins and our relatives in PH and him seeing how beautiful the country is. Because my son plays for a club, I need to make sure that he still gets he's training even whilst on vacation. I brought all sorts of gears - agility poles, 6 soccer balls, goals, etc. To make sure we have a place to train, we booked accomodation in different places to try them out.
Facilities:
In Manila, we've booked New Coast Hotel, they don't have a pitch but there's quite a space within their pool are that we are able to train. "Nagpaalam lang kami sa mabait na lifeguard duon".
We were looking for a pitch so I inquired Rizal Memorial so my son and I could train. Unfortunately, the people I spoke to told us that all the pitch and areas are fully booked already. I asked even for just a tiny grassy area that surely would be available but they said none. Then we said fine, because our next accomodation will be close to the pitch anyway.
Move on to our AirbnB in BGC Soccer Field. We were so excited to see the pitch, at night it's full of different nationalities playing and enjoying the game. When we walked the next morning, the pitch was empty except for a guard who's looking after it. We inquired. We were told that we need to book the whole pitch for PHP 8k for an hour or so (can't exactly remember how long). I told "kuya we don't need po the whole pitch, I just need an area where my son and I could train". In fairness to the guard who is so respectful, he told us to inquire with the Admin. We called the Admin and they said no, we need to book the whole pitch. Then we saw a park in BGC where there's a nice grassy area, unfortunately its surrounded by a tread (or alambre sa atin) meaning no one's allowed to go inside. We were so disappointed that time because we couldnt train.
Then we moved on to our next accomodation which is Blue Pitch in Makati. Similar to the BGC Pitch, it is empty but guarded. We were also told to book the entire pitch - I'm feeling shattered at this time but I don't want my son to see it. We found a park across the Ayala Circuit Mall and we were so excited finally long last we would be able to train. Then the guard approach us to say "Sir bawal po at me concert mamaya". I just don't know what to say at this point. I told the guard, kuya we just need a small pace to do passing etc. but we were shooed away.
These are just a couple of our experiences around facilities and I could go on and on but I would stop from here. My heart bleeds for those kids who love the sport but because we don't have the facility and training available, they end up having to give up/leave the sport. Especially for those kids who can't afford to go to big schools (i.e Ateneo, La Salle, etc). Soccer in PH is light years behind in so many aspects - facilities, grass roots training, etc. It is my dream to see PH become not only competitive, but a powerhouse in the sport but in order for that to happen, SO MUCH has to be done!