Tottenham coaches present for AIA Philippines Here to Play

Flanking Ethan Lee and Anton del Rosario are the representatives of the six teams in the inaugural Women's Kampeon Cup.

Aligned with the AIA Vitality Women's Kampeon Cup, the 7s Football League will also conduct grassroots activities at the McKinley Hill Stadium this weekend.

To help in this endeavour, league partner AIA Philippines is tapping a couple of coaches from Tottenham Hotspur, which the firm is a Global Principal Partner, for the AIA Philippines Here to Play program, a pilot campaign that takes place in AIA countries.

Shannon Moloney and Tegan Burling were introduced to the media on Friday night, as the International Development Coaches will assist in the training sessions and also partake of the Women's Kampeon Cup activities.

The former was a midfielder in her playing days, having played for the Spurs in the FA Women's Super League back in 2016-2019. The 34-year-old shares, "Both Coach Tegan and I are excited to finally be here. We first got involved back in 2020 but the lockdown happened due to the pandemic. Our interaction was done through online meetings."

The latter adds, "We’re going to be going around the pitch tomorrow for the festival where we will be playing games that involve the kids as well as our guests and sponsors. While we like to work with the young to teach them to play the right way, it is never too late to fall in love with the game of football."

AIA Philippines Head of Brand and Communications Bernadette Chincuanco notes, "It’s the first time that we’re having a special sponsorship for women, and it is high time that we shine the spotlight on these strong players in a male-dominated sport. And this tournament is part of a whole-day and weekend event of football, dance, music, and good food brought to you by AIA Philippines and BPI AIA."

The Women's Kampeon Cup brings together outstanding seven-a-side footballers from its different locations. The inaugural iteration is bringing six teams: Batangas, BGC, Cebu, Muntinlupa, Palawan, and Pampanga.

For Palawan's head coach Matt Gol-lod, he can relate to his team's excitement. "We’re very happy to be a part of this prestigious tournament and for the girls to meet the Tottenham coaches will surely inspire them."

Fans can watch the AIA Vitality Women's Kampeon Cup through the streaming application TapGO TV. By using the code TGTVAIA, one can not only watch the the tournament, but also partake of the exclusive access available on the app for the next month.

Also sponsoring the competition are Palaro, 7x7, and Blaze Athletics.