For the past year or so, the Philippine Football Federation has been working hard to keep the football scene alive. For long-time football fans like myself, this has been an unexpected but truly fantastic development.
In all the years that I have been a football fan, I never would have imagined that one day, Philippine football would be where it is now. The question now is this: How long can we sustain the interest of the general public?
Before we discuss this, I would like to give a shout-out to the members of the team who played in the Suzuki Cup where all this hoopla started as well as all the players before them who dedicated years in the team and never got a taste of the success that the Azkals are enjoying now. All those efforts through the years have not been forgotten by the real enthusiasts.So I mentioned 'real enthusiasts.' I say this only because while watching some of the games, I have come across so many people in the stands who do not even understand a single thing about football except that they want to see Phil Younghusband take his shirt off at the end of the game.
No, don't get me wrong, I don't necessarily think this is a bad thing. At the end of the day, these people buy tickets and in effect, keep the sponsors interested. Now the problem is, how do we convert them into real football fans?
The team needs to balance showbiz and sports. At the end of the day, Filipinos like winners. They may have initially been attracted by the pretty faces and hot abs, but if the team doesn't deliver results, soon no one will care about them. Unfortunately, the Filipino fan does not believe in "You can't win 'em all". Right now, the football industry in the country is walking a tightrope.
The decline in interest has been obvious since the team started playing all these games and the weaknesses have been exposed. Ticket sales have gone down drastically as well. Some serious planning needs to be done if we want to keep the sport alive.
As of now, the media has been doing a good job of emphasizing all the good news and downplaying the losses, the intrigues and all the other undesirable information surrounding the team. However, it's not enough. Good PR and good results are imperative.
The UFL is also a good venue to keep the so-called 'stars' in the public eye but without the need for a great victory with each game. Because it's a league, the team gets a lot of games and chances. each loss is not as bad as what it would look like if it were the AZKALS playing against some other national team.
Since the popular Azkals players are spread out amongst the UFL teams, this also keeps the interest alive. Not all of them are in the winning team but someone will always win at the end of the season and at least the fans of that team will still be interested next year.
Breeding rabid fans like the Europeans will be a tall order in the Philippines but not impossible. Just look at Barangay Ginebra. They are life-long fans who would go as far as ostracizing their own relatives should they make the mistake of rooting for the other team. This is the kind of fanaticism that we need for football.
All things considered, I am hoping that through the joint efforts of the PFF, the athletes, the media, the sponsors and the fans, football will continue to grow. As I was walking to my seat before the first match of the World Cup Qualifiers at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium, I could still remember the electrifying atmosphere that I never would have imagined possible. Having watched football games in Europe, I would say that the atmosphere in Rizal was comparable to European games and to this day, it still gives me chills. I felt like I was in twilight zone.
After a tour of the UAE where we did fairly well, and a draw in the game against Malaysia, I can say that the team is looking good. I would have wanted them to win the Malaysian game especially after coming so close. I know that a draw in itself is a good result. However, Like I said a win is a win and the team needs to look good right now. The new fans don't care that we drew against a team we would expect to lose to. They don't care about the vast improvements in the team. All that matters is that we let in a goal and let the win slip away.
The next match needs to be a morale booster. One where the Azkals will score 5 goals against a weaker opponent. Then we can go back to real games again. I know it sounds like a joke but sometimes selling out is a means to an end but only if done properly. I'm actually the first person to protest when certain players seem to be more interested in showbiz than in improving their game.Personally, I would rather focus on the sport, on the team, on improving the league. But at the end of the day, for this to happen, we need sponsors and we need to keep the public interested. Balance is key but it's easier said than done.
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