Inaugural LALIGA Extra Time in the Philippines highlights sports development, LALIGA Youth Tournament

LALIGA Extra Time

As LaLiga continues to make inroads and extend its roots in the Philippines, the top-flight league in Spain arranged to have its LALIGA Extra Time make its inaugural run in the country on Tuesday.

The event aims to gather the movers and shakers in the football scene in order to share knowledge and bring together the community. For this case, the theme is "Football Priorities in the Philippines: Grassroots, Competitions, and Infrastructures."

Panel discussions took place with the participation of representatives from Villarreal CF, the Philippine Football Federation, the Philippines Football League, the Negros Occidental Regional Football Association, Kaya FC, Aboitiz Group, Futbol Funatics, and GOM Academy, among others, with nearly a hundred guests in attendance, including the Spanish Ambassador to the Philippines, Mr. Miguel Utray Delgado.

LALIGA Managing Director for Southeast Asia, Japan, South Korea, and Australia Iván Codina shares, "After 7 years in the country, we are aware that football in the Philippines is at a clear moment of boom where the right momentum can take it to new heights, and LALIGA wants to be part of it. For instance, with such inspiring and ambitious projects as the LALIGA Youth Tournament, which was announced today. Surrounded by some of the most influential players in the sports industry, LALIGA EXTRA TIME has also served to lay some foundations to ensure a prosperous future for football in the country."

One of the highlights that took place in the event was the unveiling of the Philippine leg of the LALIGA Youth Tournament, a competition that LALIGA specifically tailored for the region. Rely San Agustin of the RSA1 Sports Group and Epic Management Inc. president Ed Pasion shared a few details of the competition slated to take place later this year at New Clark City.

Another highlight featured the gains of the Villarreal Philippines Academy, with Villarreal CF international coach Alejandro “Nano” Márquez and VCFP Academy Director Eumir Siao. The academy, which is the first full-time academy of a Spanish side to have taken foothold in the country, recently held a camp at the end of last month at its location in Alabang.

Kicking off activities was a panel looking into the state of grassroots development in the country. GOM Academy founder Darren Hartmann hosted the panel, which featured PFF Grassroots Head Dave Javellana, Futbol Funatics co-founder Candice Grey del Rosario, and Kaya FC President and General Manager Paul Tolentino.

The other panel looked into the need of proper infrastructures for a successful football structure. Hosted by San Agustin, it involved PFF Head of Competitions and PFL Commissioner Coco Torre, Aboitiz Group VP for Lima Operations Clifford Academia, and newly-elected NORFA head Jose Miguel Valmayor. The three shared their experience and wisdom to help build discussion around the present and the future of football.