Newly launched world-class turf aims to bring football closer to Bulacan
BULACAN – As the demand for sports development grows beyond the capital, a new project in Bulacan aims to bring premier facilities closer to local communities.
Real estate company Asian Land Strategies Corporation officially launched Asian Land Turf at Casa Buena de Pulilan, Bulacan, on Friday.
According to the company, the professional-grade football turf made of artificial grass is the first of its kind in the province of Bulacan.
“Well [the] inspiration is really more on kids, that we noticed that the majority of the kids seldom go out. You know, we really wanted a sport aside from basketball because basketball is already popular. We felt that maybe football would be the best sport for them,” Asian Land Strategies Corporation Chief Executive Officer Jacky Quintos told ABS-CBN News.
Quintos shared that the land where the high-quality artificial turf now stands was supposed to be the site of additional houses.
“Instead, we decided why not make it a sports facility and it will be good for the entire province of Bulacan and encourage all the young kids out there to start playing football. Not only football, but maybe all other sports,” he said.
Being the first of its kind in the province, the Asian Land Turf aims to help make football more accessible to the local communities in Bulacan.
“We found out that there were a lot of local teams in the province of Bulacan that had to travel to Manila just to practice,” Quintos said.
“I also understand that Malolos is also planning to build, the local government is planning to build a turf field as well, and so is the province of Baliuag. Hopefully they do it so we have more facilities, and this is not the only one. But so far, this is the only internationally FIFA recognized turf field,” he added.
The turf represents a significant step toward expanding the province’s sports infrastructure and providing more opportunities for aspiring athletes, particularly young football players.
“Sanay kami, nagpupunta pa kami sa iba’t ibang lugar sa south para makipaglumaban yung mga clubs dito sa Bulacan,” Bulacan Vice Governor Alex Castro said.
“We’re planning nga, nag-uusap kami ng collaboration para magkaroon ng One Bulacan Football Club at magkaroon ng next Makata Football Tournament dito na gaganapin,” he added.
Castro believes holding competitions held at the new venue will also help boost tourism, not just in Pulilan, but across the entire province of Bulacan.
“Makatulong din ‘to sa tourism natin dahil marami tayong may invite ng mga from other provinces, from Metro Manila na makakapaglaro dito dahil napakaganda nung ating bagong football field dito,” he said.
“At the same time, pagkatapos nun, siyempre kakain sila, pupunta sila sa mga restaurants dito, makakapunta sila sa mga tourist spot dito sa Bulacan. So ma-encounter nila, ma-explore nila yung Bulacan,” Castro explained.
Alongside the official launch of the turf, the inaugural Asian Land Cup was announced, which will focus on the grassroots athletes.
The first Asian Land Cup is scheduled to kick off on Saturday and will run until Sunday.
“We focus on the grassroots. This is the foundation of the sports in the country, the grassroots. Tomorrow the start of the game starts from U5, U7, U9 and U11 in the afternoon. Then, in the Sunday, it’s U13 and U15,” Coach Kim Versales said.
“But eventually, we are planning to have Bulacan Youth League also. Inter-school also within the area using the facilities. We will maximize the facility for the growth of the sports in the community,” he added.
Versales said having more football tournaments will help foster the culture of the sport in the area and encourage the community to take up the sport.
“We want to make a football culture in the area. It’s not like just a sports na kung kailangan gusto maglaro. It’s a culture of the sports in the area. This is a very good development for the sports, especially for football. So, it’s good to have many pitches around the country,” he shared.
Versales is optimistic the the added facilities will help spark interest in football among Bulacan’s youth, with the hopes of producing a player in the national team.
“Good players, they need to start young. We want to produce a national team player from here, from Bulacan. So we want to produce not just a passionate football player, we want to supply national team player,” he said.
“We want to supply to the universities in Manila a good player. So that’s our target here. Then maybe international player. Who knows? Hindi natin alam,” Versales shared.
Ayala Vermosa Sports Hub Sports Director and former football coach Hans Smit lauded the opening of the first community football pitch in Bulacan.
“I was happy to see it because this is one of the first real community fields, okay, and it’s a turf, artificial turf, which is the way to go right now. Because not to put down the natural grass fields, but it’s very hard to maintain,” he said.
“So, this is good and this is very inviting to the kids. Not just the kids, but the parents actually of the kids that come and want to play football. It’s a very nice atmosphere to be in, especially with this kind of field,” Smit added.
The former football coach stressed the need for sports facilities to be closer to communities to help spark interest and grow the game.
“I’s a big deal. I hope this goes on. You know, in the provinces there are, but very little community fields. Like here, you just look around, you see the residents. The houses are there. They just walk by. They don’t have to go out of Pulilan just to play football,” Smit explained.
“Because I’m sure there are a lot of kids that come from different nearby provinces who go all the way to Manila. Let’s say go to Makati just to train for a youth academy. So, these expenses, I’m talking about expenses for the kids, for the families. I mean, you don’t spend too much here,” he pointed out.
Aside from football, Asian Land also has a tennis court in Malolos, which it says is the first ITF Standard Tennis Court in the area.
“Luckily enough, Alex Eala became so popular so our tennis courts are now full every single hour of the day from 8 o’clock to 10 p.m. Now, this is what we would like to happen with this turf field. You know, we want it to be full with kids playing. Kids all the way until adults, even corporate teams that want to practice,” he said.
Asian Land aims to develop more premier facilities for other sports, such as pickleball, to encourage active lifestyles and nurture local talent.