Rampaging Fullback: From the World Cup to Philippine football AFP “Would Neymar and Thiago Silva have made a difference, had they been available to play against Germany?” That was the question posed by a friend in the aftermath of Germany’s 7-1 mauling of Brazil in the semi-finals of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. It was a fair question and truth be told, a very remarkable one. Because just four weeks prior, this friend in question wouldn’t know Brazil captain Thiago Silva from Anderson Silva and for him, Neymar would just be an typical blond dude whose face just happens to appear in football commercials. Yet another friend is contemplating purchasing an Argentina shirt “with Messi #10” at the back “because he has good dribbling skills”. He has never heard of Lionel Messi prior to June 2014. The 2014 FIFA World Cup has certainly lived up to its billing as the ‘greatest show on earth’ as it has served up a boatload of goals whilst providing nail-biting finishes to knockout games. Closer to home, the World Cup’s impact to football newbies in the Philippines is nothing short of extraordinary. Erstwhile non-football fans have woken up at 4am to catch the games of their favourite teams in action and are sufficiently hooked – even in their sleep deprived state – to come back for more the next game day. That is what a World Cup can bring, and it would be very wise for the PFF and the UFL to sit up, take notice and capitalize on this surge of interest for the beautiful game as contrary to popular belief, football is not just played once every four years. In the Philippines, there is the UFL season at the start of the year, together with the UFL Cup and the PFF Smart Club Championships to go along with the regional competitions of the national team. The challenge now is to translate interest in World Cup football to interest in local football. As Singapore and other Southeast Asian nations will attest, this is no mean feat. “Support Local Football” has been the rallying cry of many a football organization in a region that is certainly football crazy, but not necessarily of the domestic football kind. So how do we generate interest in the local league? The UFL has been taking the lead in this department, as it has been busy going around the metropolis and undertaking a series of mall tours to promote the league and its players. The UFL Youth League has also been a phenomenal success, attracting kids of various ages to the football pitch, which would subsequently boost the popularity and awareness of the sport. Nonetheless, there is still much room for growth, especially in reaching out to non-football fans here. A move to a more accessible home for the UFL, rather than the inaccessible and poorly planned Emperador Stadium, would be a start. Scheduling games on weekends, where people can watch the games live would be another suggestion. For now, my new football loving friends are having a blast. They have vowed to support the Azkals more in future international competitions and to watch more domestic football, promises I hope they will keep even after the last ball has been kicked in Rio de Janeiro. Not so long ago, some attention to football was all local footy fans could ask for. Thanks to the rise of Azkals and the emergence of the UFL, it is now a reality. However, make no mistake, for Philippine football to move upward, there is still a lot of work to be done. Ryan Fenix is InterAksyon’s resident football analyst. His football column Rampaging Fullback appears exclusively on the site. He runs the football blog The Prawn Sandwich Brigade and covers football for Sports5. For more football discussion, follow him on Twitter.
Posted on: Sun, 13 Jul 2014 12:15:17 +0000
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