Women’s Soccer Gaining Status in Philippines

Women’s football seems to be at an all time high in the Philippines, thanks to some good performances and tournaments appearances. But good form always forces the same question: Whats next?

After their outstanding performance in the qualifying stages, Philippine Women’s football is gaining popularity, as the National team joins Australia, China, Japan, Korea Republic, Thailand, Vietnam, and Jordan (the host country) in the 2018 AFC Women’s Asian Cup. It is the first time that the Philippines has been able to qualify for the world’s oldest women’s competition since the introduction of qualifying stages– and there are high hopes and expectations from the Malditas in the coming challenge.

The top five finishers in Jordan 2018 will be granted a place in the FIFA Women’s World Cup that will kick off in France in 2019. According to AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, “Women’s football in Asia is world class”.

Courtesy Seminar Philippines

It is world class indeed, with three teams from Asia in the top 10 of the FIFA women’s world ranking. The Philippines’ Malditas will be part of this world-class competition, and regardless of outcome there is much that will be gained than lost.

The Philippine Women’s U15 National Team has also seen recent success, clinching the second place finish in the AFF Girls Under-15 Championship in Vientiane, Laos. In November 2016, the Philippine Football Federation launched the Amateur Women’s League (PFFWL)—a top flight of women’s football in the Philippines as part of FIFA’s Women’s Development Project.

Surprisingly, most of the teams that are participating in the inaugural 2016-17 season are either from the University Athletic Association of the Philippines, or alumni teams. Kaya Makati FC was the only PFL club that ventured to be part of the Women’s League with an exciting message via social media: “We have the youngest team in the PFF Women’s League, and we are thrilled that we can give young girls the chance to play in major tournaments”. The club, however, withdrew from the league after a few matches.

With the purpose of the league being to create a bigger pool of players for the Philippines women’s national football teams, schools alone cannot do this. Not all football talents have the finances to obtain an education.

The question that remains, is this: is it time for the Philippine Football Federation to make female football teams compulsory for all the PFL Clubs before the women league is professionalized? And are we going to see more clubs for female footballers?

While many questions still linger, it will definitely be exciting to see how Women’s football kicks of in the Philippines.