LALIGA logo adorns GK Sipag FC for inaugural Ang Liga campaign

GK Sipag FC

With the start of Ang Liga's U17 Girls Tournament, one would instantly recognize a familiar sight at the front and center of the GK Sipag FC kit.

The LALIGA logo being on Gawad Kalinga's design is the latest highlight of the innovative collaboration between the two entities, one specifically unique across Asia.

As an entity, Gawad Kalinga focuses on eradicating poverty and restoring human dignity, and aims to help 20,000 barangays through its solidarity platforms. It has brought together more than 100 young people from communities across the Philippines such as Davao de Oro, Sultan Kudarat, Butuan, Palawan, Bohol and Manila.

Last year, the NGO had been honored by LALIGA during the Heroes Off The Pitch gala as its Best Community Project for Football through its "Climate Change Awareness Through Soccer" project. The gala sought to highlight efforts that utilized football and sport as a successful social tool for the community, with this specific activity using football as a tool to educate and spread environmental awareness, as well as relevant social issues like gender equality.

Part of the reward for Gawad Kalinga is having their team, which has been a notable participant as a community-based squad for futsal, participate in standard eleven-a-side football, with the stage being the inaugural competition for this age group by Ang Liga, considered as the biggest school football league in the country.

In making the announcement, Gawad Kalinga manager Marlyn Importante says, "We at GK Sipag FC aim to provide opportunities to our players. While we usually play futsal, we are excited every week to take on this new challenge in an 11-a-side game as a learning opportunity. Like in our collaboration with LALIGA, the goal is long-term in terms of developing our players. With their support in our quest, they give us courage to face the challenges. Every loss presents an invaluable opportunity for growth and development, and this exposure will be one of the best experiences they will have. ‘SIPAG lang’ (which means hard work will pay off one day)."

Philippine delegate for LALIGA Javier López-Sanz Chulvi shares, "We at LALIGA are particularly proud of the Heroes Off The Pitch project in the Philippines, and to see how it has finally materialized in this collaboration with GK Sipag FC is truly inspiring. It gives meaning to our steadfast commitment to the development of football around the world. We hope that Gawad Kalinga and GK Sipag FC will meet all the challenges that come their way, both on the field and, above all, off the field."

LALIGA's recently revised logo features two "L's" together, crafted in such a way that it seems reminiscent of how a footballer would slide down on their knees pitchside.

Said LALIGA logo is not the only noticeable feature of GK Sipag's new kit design. Using yellow as its primary color highlights hope through sport. Three "hidden" bees represent the three major island regions in the Philippines (Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao), with the insects projecting the team's mindset (We are small, but we can sting.) The three lines of banig illustrates the unity between communities as an anchor in the formation of values, one that is very much part of Gawad Kalinga's ethos as an institution.