FOR THE LOVE OF FOOTBALL

Nestled at the heart of Bonifacio Global City (BGC) is a treat for the growing football community in the country.

By Patria Iane M. Balilla

In May of this year, Turf BGC finally reopened and started accepting football players and enthusiasts to play in its worldclass football field measuring 305 x 164 feet, decked with a Federacion Internationale de Football Association (FIFA)-compliant, top-grade artificial turf, and equipped with an upgraded lighting system that meets the highest visual standards of any football match.

The reopening of the country’s first community football arena also addresses the growing needs of the football community, where most teams find it hard to secure slots due to a few football fields available for training and games.

Aside from its world-class facilities, Turf BGC also boasts of its prime location inside the BGC estate.

Preferred by top teams

Undoubtedly, this field has any footballer's needs. In fact, top professional football teams, including Kaya FC Women’s hold their training at the Turf BGC twice a week. Kaya FC Women’s, which is also led by decorated Women’s National Football Team Coach Marnelli “Let” Dimzon, won the Philippine

Football Federation (PFF) Women’s Cup in 2022, and is currently ranked second in the 2023 edition of the PFF Women’s League.

Asked why they chose Turf BGC as their training pitch, Coach Let enthuses she admires its facilities that are already at par with professional arenas. This makes Turf BGC an ideal ground for their training. It is also the most accessible in the metro, especially for those teams who do not have their own pitches, she adds.

“Training pitches are mostly essential now for all the teams without football pitches. Most of the club teams, school bases, and community groups are looking for a field to (either) train or play on. As of now, only a few pitches are available to train on,” Coach Let shares.

Coach Let says she likes Turf BGS’s strategic location within an urban jungle, such as the BGC. Aside from it being near their respective work offices, it is also accessible to and from establishments where they can get together before or after games or practices.

The future of football

After the PH Women’s National Football Team ‘Filipinas’ qualified for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the sport gained its much-deserved popularity and support. With this new-found glory, facilities such as Turf BGC play a significant role in ensuring that the expanding community gets its much-needed arena for training and competitions.

Expressing her vision for the sport in the country, Coach Let says she hopes there would be more competitions and international exposure, as well as a semi-pro league for women’s football.

“I can see that football will [become] a bigger stage for our local and overseas players,” Coach Let projects.

Q & A with BCDA PCEO Joshua M. Bingcang