Philippine Football

[Saskibaloia]

GO PHILIPPINES!!!

From 189 to 170 in the FIFA rankings due to some quality results such as a 3 - 0 smashing of Bhutan, a draw against Tajikstan and a win (1-0) over Brunei.

Though the Azkals are not playing NTs from the upper levels we have to still be happy that the NT are racking up some wins.

[donmar]

Yup we got a good future... Some half-breed Filipinos are playing in Europe and they actually help the current national team improves...

[thadzonline]

This is good news, tha last time I was able to check the football rankings eons ago we were at 194 and we have been improving with the additions of the Younghusband brothers, Ali Borromeo, Chad Gould and other Fil-fors

[b3lowzro]

what was our highest ranking before? and when did go up to that spot?

[elaj]

I care.

[Phantim3dx]

can someone tell me how teamp rp in football/soccer got named the "azkals"?

[prince75]

AZKALS is the short term meaning of "ASONG KALYE" or Street Dogs, hence the name azkals

[donmar]

what was our highest ranking before? and when did go up to that spot?

Our highest ranking is 157 (December 1992)....

To Phantim3dx:

We got the name Azkals, like Prince75 said, from the word Askal - "Asong Kalye" (Street Dog)... Philippine Football Team is always been ignored and only now for the last 3-4 years that the national team got a little bit of attention from the public... only people from provinces of Negros and Iloilo, as well as some parts of Mindanao that are really aware of Philippine Football and the National Team....

[thadzonline]

Our highest ranking is 157 (December 1992)....

To Phantim3dx:

We got the name Azkals, like Prince75 said, from the word Askal - "Asong Kalye" (Street Dog)... Philippine Football Team is always been ignored and only now for the last 3-4 years that the national team got a little bit of attention from the public... only people from provinces of Negros and Iloilo, as well as some parts of Mindanao that are really aware of Philippine Football and the National Team....

when did the FIFA rankings start by the way? bcoz I think we were Asian Champions sometime during the time of the defunct Far Eastern Games

[donmar]

when did the FIFA rankings start by the way? bcoz I think we were Asian Champions sometime during the time of the defunct Far Eastern Games

Don't know probably early 90s or late 80s... I wonder if any of the
European forumers here can confirm that since they're more aware about football than anyone else

RP was the first Far Easten Games champions and finish second several times in that competition... dunno if they become champion again after the first one...

[thadzonline]

Don't know probably early 90s or late 80s... I wonder if any of the
European forumers here can confirm that since they're more aware about football than anyone else

RP was the first Far Easten Games champions and finish second several times in that competition... dunno if they become champion again after the first one...

The FIFA world rankings started in 1992:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIFA_World_Rankings

we were Far East Games champs in 1913 but did not have much success afterwards:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philipp...al_appearances

[Saskibaloia]

FIFA article on the Philippines' 19 move in the rankings

Philippines making Asian waves


(FIFA.com)

Thursday 26 June 2008


Asia's third round of qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ may have dominated June's headlines across the continent, with teams struggling to enter the ten-team line-up for the final stage. However, it was the Philippines who stole the show in this month's FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking, as they rocketed up 19 places to 170. They are Asia's best movers for June.

Although it is still some distance from their highest-ever ranking of 157 in December 1992, this recent leap has underlined the progress they have made over the past few years.

The South-East Asians' giant stride up the global order is largely attributable to their impressive campaign in last month's qualifiers for this year's AFC Challenge Cup, where they stayed undefeated to finish level on points with reigning champions Tajikistan, although the Tajiks advanced to the main tournament thanks to a superior goal difference.

Regional focus
Football has long been the number one sport in many parts of Asia, but it is a different story in the Philippines, where basketball enjoys the lion's share of the attention. To rejuvenate the beautiful game in the country, the Philippine Football Association undertook a long-term development scheme, choosing not to participate in the qualifying campaign for the 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cups, focusing instead on domestic and regional competitions.

Their rebuilding process culminated in May when the team, under former international Norman Fegidero, came within a whisker of booking their place at the AFC Challenge Cup, a competition tailor-made for the continent's second-tier teams.

The Philippines opened their qualifying campaign brightly with a 1-0 win over Brunei on 13 May, captain Emelio Caligdong sliding home the only goal after 29 minutes. In the crunch tie against Tajikistan two days later, Fegidero's charges did well to keep the holders at bay for a goalless draw, despite playing the majority of the game with only ten men. They finished with a 3-0 thrashing of Bhutan, a result which sent them to the top of the group on seven points alongside Tajikistan, who only claimed the group's qualifying spot thanks to their superior scoring tally.

Missing out on the continental tournament like this, understandably, was a major disappointment for coach Fegidero. "Our players played very well throughout, but we just got unlucky," he lamented. "To crash out on goal difference is very hard and frustrating for us."

Glorious past
Despite their elimination, the Philippines' excellent display during the qualifiers augurs well for the country, who can further take inspiration from their glorious past.

One of the founding members of the Asian Football Confederation, the Philippines were among the game's frontrunners on the continent, with their national association (PFF) founded in 1907, before they became affiliated to FIFA in 1930. In those heady days, the Philippines were one of the region's powerhouses; a 2-1 victory over China in the Far Eastern Championship was one particular feather in their footballing cap.

They also produced some of Asia's best players during that period. The most noteworthy of these was Paulino Alcantara, who scored an incredible 357 goals for Spanish giants Barcelona between 1912 and 1927.

They have made little impression on the international stage since then, their semi-final appearance in the 1991 Southeast Asian Games being their only significant achievement. However, with the PFF reorganized in 1982 and an ambitious grassroots program launched in 1998, aided by FIFA and the German government, the foundation has been laid for plenty of improvement in the years to come.

GO PHILIPPINES!!!!

[b3lowzro]

GO PHILIPPINES!!!!

Animo Pilipinas, i used to practice with the metro manila clubs and sadly all i can say is that we lack a big leagues and public support for football.

[Saskibaloia]

Animo Pilipinas, i used to practice with the metro manila clubs and sadly all i can say is that we lack a big leagues and public support for football.

That's true but to obtain a "big league" and public support you need to take little steps.

The following are what I consider the small steps to be a footballing nation among the Asian countries, though not necessarily being a powerhouse like Saudi Arabia or Korea or even Qatar.

1. Efficient and effective management from the Philippines Football Federation
2. Financial capital from local stakeholders
3. Infrastructure: practise facilities and football fields
4. Foreign coaching staff for the grass root levels: U/12 - U/23
5. The focus on the development for the grass root levels: U/12 - U/23
6. Loaning of grass root level players to overseas clubs
7. Starting of the local semi-professional league
8. Creation of a national team program


Step one is a crucial factor because these managers will direct the future of Filipino football. Australia is a perfect example of accomplishing this step, which allowed the resurgence of Australian football and its emergence in the Asian Football Confederation, currently ranked number 1. The current chairman of the federation is billionaire Frank Lowy, a migrant from Europe, at the young age of 10 and a passionate football fan. His passion for the game connection in the business world allowed the inclusion of financial support from local stakeholders and from the local Australian businesses.

Once the federation is able to obtain the financial capital to implement their agenda the next step would be to improve and create better quality footballing infrastructure such as football fields and footballing academy centres. Such a move will allow foreign and qualified coaching staff to come on board to aid and enhance the footballing quality of the country. Many countries have sought out foreign coaches to due to the higher level of coaching that is seen overseas, countries such as Qatar (Uruguay’s Forsatti), Portugal (Brazil’s Solari) or Australia (Holland’s Pim Verbeek).

The reason why it is important in any sport is to focus equally on the grass root levels compared to the current national squad is that these youngsters are the future and the future are in their hands if the country is to succeed in the sport.

The loaning of players overseas allows these youngsters to obtain high level playing experience even though many will not have match time. In addition, they will also be exposed to higher level of coaching experience that will enhance their skills and abilities.

The semi-professional league will slowly generate public interest and support, in addition, the creation of a national team program will allow the national team to increase their success hence, also to generate that public awareness of the sport.

[donmar]

I agree with you bro... I hope the development continue to grow for RP Football