Filipinas Rising (The Philippines Women's Football Thread)

To commemorate the Philippines' official joining of Asia's Elite Eight in time for the AFC Women's Asian Cup in Jordan next year, a step closer to the FIFA Women's World Cup in France 2019...

(Honestly this is so i could stop bugging the Nadeshiko thread where i'd post a lot of updates on the team since i am closely tied with them doing reports/media promotions work for them and my Nadeshiko-loving friends there got curious )

I formally start this thread on BS on the Philippine WNT and everything Filipina or Pinay football!

I hope to provide updates and scoops every now and then but please feel free to share info and join in the discussion, ask questions if you'd like

For now, let me share this video i just finished working on a few hours ago...

 

Of course you guys, the Nadeshiko always has been the first love! Hehe

 

Thanks Bliss! On my way there now

 

Some social media accounts to remember...

http://facebook.com/PilipinasWNFT
http://twitter.com/PHL_WNFT
http://www.youtube.com/PilipinasWNT
http://instagram.com/pilipinaswnt

However the Instagram one isn't updated (I'm not handling it)

 

Btw for a quick reference on the AFC Qualifiers' class of the PWNT, this should help:



Of course, this was prepared by yours truly

 

Some behind the scenes fun of the PWNT in the Tajikistan hotel before we went on our way home:

 

I can't believe we're really part of this

 

OK it seems i have some time to share some anecdotes

(I must mention however that the trip going there was a heck of an experience itself. It was my first time traveling alone in more than ten years and my first to a really really far away country with so many legs/stops where i was almost deported on multiple occasions in each! Somehow despite the visa issues i managed to arrive in Tajikistan and the consular officer was very gracious enough to hand me a special 3-day visa after having just deported a Chinese man. Chalk it up to not getting that many Filipino visitors i suppose, and we came from very far away after all that's why he must've been more sympathetic with me.)

So! here are some photos on my 2nd day there (the day after the Jordan game and the day we were going back to the Philippines). I booked my flights in a way that i get to travel back with them



Here's a bit playful team photo where fullback Dai Dolino couldn't hold back laughter back there. Before this pose they opted to do a game face/super serious version.


The coaches, manager and physio had a bit of fun too as you can see here


On the bus to the airport! I sat with Irish Navaja (bottom right corner). She offered me half her lunch (some shawarma kind of sandwich, that seems to be the kind of thing they eat there, middle eastern cuisine).


In one of our layovers...in Russia! Well, Siberia to be more precise. I was the first out of the plane cos the team decided to hang back and let the rest of the passengers off before them (probably because of the various heavy hand-carried luggage). On the way out i was halted by two Russians holding up a sign for those on transit to Beijing. They wouldn't let us through cos we had no Russian visas, and the section where they took care of international transit passengers was still closed (this was at past midnight). They were surprised when i said there were a lot of us, as i rounded up the girls as they came out the tunnel from the plane.


Just some tomfoolery while waiting for our passports from the Russian officers so we could board our flight to China! As you can see, Cristine Duran (the one in the cap, we call her "Dur" for short) is the most playful of the bunch especially with the overseas based players like Hanna Parado (left), Claire Lim (middle) and you don't see her in the last photo but she fools around with Pat Tomanon (rightmost) too!

Oh yeah, that's striker Eva Madarang doing a photobomb in that first photo!


In Beijing and waiting for our flight to Manila! Which means....... charging time for the smartphone batteries! Haha, i had my portable extension out because there was only one outlet for passengers in our gate and look how they capitalized on the opportunity


Claire doing braids on her fellow wingback's hair (Claire is a leftback, Pat is a rightback).


This one's already in the airport back in Manila, obviously around the baggage claim area. Just goalkeeper Inna Palacios being playful.

(to be continued)

 

Everyone being briefed by head coach Buda Bautista before exiting the airport, she was informing us that there were press people outside.


On our way out and some centerback love here as Hali Long let an injured Dai ride on her baggage trolley This occurred a lot btw haha (riding on a trolley and letting others push you lol).


Welcomed as heroines with camera flashes, cheers and Hawaiian styled medals/garlands! It was nice to see the players genuinely stunned by this


Captain Patrice Impelido being interviewed by a major TV station Btw Inna is her vice captain or rather, co-captain.


Complete with banner!! Posing for the press, fans and well wishers here.


A quick word about them, if you recognize the girl on the left she could arguably be the best player (especially the fact that she is homegrown in Manila) on the squad, that's Sara Castañeda (she was the one who scored the equalizer vs Bahrain that was the goal that sent us to the AFC Women's Asian Cup finals!) with Nina Arrieta (middle) and younger sister Anicka Castañeda (right). Anicka is a pretty good player herself and is arguably the better scorer than her sister. Anyway these three are all related! Nina is their cousin and an Aunt told me she is actually the two Castañedas' niece! Imagine that lol (but Anicka is 2 years younger than Nina).


(That's all for now!)

 

Yes, they really are

 

Big day for Philippine women's football tomorrow...



This tournament is one of the most competitive in the country with the highest level of play.

If anyone wants to try to catch it on livestreaming it will be at http://sports.abs-cbn.com/livestream/uaap (10AM GMT)

 

Haha, take note i used "one of"
The other competitive tournament is the PFF Women's League that contains the highly competitive collegiate teams and local clubs. That league has 11 teams in all.

PS: Notice the girl on the right in the poster i just posted, it's the national team keeper hehe. Yes, we mainly source our best local players from college teams :O

 

Hey guys, i got sooooooooo busy again! Ehm... long story short, the federation didn't get me as media officer but the kids' parents wouldn't have any of it so they did all they can, funded me to cover their daughters on the team. So yep, here in Laos. And yep, </3

But wahey, look who i ran into and got a little nice chat in

865971325843546114 is not a valid tweet id

 

Aaaaaaaaand my photos are now on print/publication, hehe. It's the top newspaper in the country too The article focuses on the head coach of the U-15 team that just bagged silver.

 

Winners of the collegiate season:




(Can you guess the national team players? )

 

With the collegiate season over, it means the domestic league is back on track! Here are the standings so far after 7 weeks