By: Icko de Guzman
Coming off a strong 2025—highlighted by Philippine football breaking barriers through a collective surge and capped by the Filipinas’ gold medal finish at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games—the Philippine Football Federation is showing no signs of slowing down.
Rather than resting on its laurels, the PFF is doubling down on its long-term vision for the sport by rolling out infrastructure programs aimed at expanding access to quality football pitches across the country.
During a joint press conference with the Philippine Sports Commission at the PSC Multipurpose Hall in Pasig City last Thursday, PFF President John Gutierrez emphasized the federation’s nationwide push to grow the game through sustainable infrastructure development. These efforts are supported by grants from FIFA, the Asian Football Confederation, and the ASEAN Football Federation, totaling nearly $3.6 million.
Three locations have already been confirmed for the development of full-sized football pitches: Baguio City, Dipolog City in Zamboanga del Norte, and a third location yet to be announced. In addition, nine provinces have been awarded projects for the construction of 65×45-meter half-pitches, providing much-needed playing spaces at the grassroots level.
Balanga City in Bataan and Puerto Princesa City in Palawan were also named among the areas set to feature a FIFA Arena, part of FIFA’s global initiative to build at least 1,000 mini-pitches worldwide to bring football closer to local communities.
According to Gutierrez, these projects reflect the PFF’s growing credibility on the international stage, bolstered in part by the successful hosting of the country’s first-ever FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup last year.
“The international bodies in football have been supporting the PFF,” Gutierrez said. “But now, they recognize that the Philippines is not just here for handouts. The Philippines is here to do its part in developing football and futsal around the world.
“They see what we bring to the table. They see our contributions, and in return, we are being entrusted with the football pitches we need to support the sport in the country.”
PSC Chairman Patrick Gregorio also lauded the commitment of Gutierrez and the PFF, expressing hope that the ongoing infrastructure push would further strengthen football development, particularly through partnerships with State Universities and Colleges in coordination with the Commission on Higher Education and the Office of the President.
“I really believe Filipinos will support football if there is room for increased capacity,” Gregorio said. “We are now closely coordinating with SUCs, and we realized that PSC can help because many state universities and colleges have thousands of hectares of land but lack the funds to develop sports facilities.
“Let us do this together with the SUCs, with the support of CHED and the Office of the President. I am using this opportunity to reach out to them: let us open our schools so that PSC and PFF can come in and develop these pitches. This is something we can sustainably move forward with.”
In closing, Gregorio thanked FIFA, AFC, AFF, and PFF leadership for their continued commitment, reiterating that the PSC will extend its full support in realizing these initiatives.
“It’s not just about giving away footballs,” Gregorio added. “It’s about putting together a pitch so they can play. Let them play, just let them play.”
