MAY dapat ipagbunyi ang football community.

Naging matagumpay ang kampanya ng Azkals para makausad sa Asian Cup qualification, habang naabot ng Philippine football team ang pinakamataas na FIFA ranking sa 111.

Tunay na nagbabalik ang sigla ng football at kailangan ng sport ang matinding suporta para masustinahan ang pag-angat sa pedestal.

At sa lawak nang mga tagahanga ng football sa bansa, ipinapalagay na isang malaking potensyal ang sports. Sa kasalukuyan, ang football ang No.3 sa sports index ng Pinoy – sa likod ng basketball at boxing.

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Para mas mapataas ang kaalaman ng mga sports executives sa posibleng pagsirit ng football, nagsagawa ng ‘Business of Football’ seminars na dinaluhan ng ga kinatawan mula sa AFC, PFF, PFL, LaLiga, Dentsu X, SMG Insight, Globe Telecom, RSportz, Toby Sports at Manila Times.

Kabuuang 185 local and foreign delegates ang nakiisa sa programa na ginanap nitong weekend sa New World Makati Hotel.

“Research in this market, shows that TV is still the number one platform here in the Philippines, and is the number one medium that advertisers are looking for, to spend their budgets on. We also learned that live TV coverage actually stimulates stadium attendance, and not vice versa. If there’s more football on TV, we will see more fans in the stadium. Currently football is not ranked among the top 100 TV programmers in the Philippines and is only number 3 sport in terms of participation and popularity after basketball and boxing. Football needs media in order to drive commercial revenues for the clubs,” pahayag ni MMC Sports CEO Eric Gottschalk.

“Now is also the perfect time to get involved in football since sponsorship and advertising opportunities are currently very affordable compared for example to basketball, but this is predicted to change within the next 6-12 months, as values are expected to increase sharply. Football also needs to create more idols and heroes to attract more media coverage overall, other than just covering game scores. Each team has a unique story which just needs to be told,” aniya.

Ilan sa mga naging speakers para magbigay ng kanilang kaalaman sa sports sina LaLiga Managing Director for South East Asia, Japan, Korean and Australia Ivan Codina, AFC Head of MA Services Domeka Garamendi, SMG Insight Managing Director Frank Saez, Azkals Team Manager Dan Palami, Globe Director for OIC, Citizenship and Advocacy Marketing Miguel Bermundo, PFL CEO Lazarus Xavier, PFF General Secretary Atty. Edwin Gastanes, Ignite Sports Group Managing Director Michael Reyes, Asian Replica Designs Founder & Owner Jonathan Mallinson, Quorum Group President & COO Jose Claudio, Jr., Mediapro Asia Director of Sales and Sponsorship Salauddin Sinnakandu, at MMC Sportz Marketing CEO Eric Gottschalk.